Inside The Fashion Foundation

There's so much that happens at The Fashion Foundation behind the scenes that we never get to talk about and I thought this is the perfect spot to share all the excitement you don't see or hear about.  

 

I'll start from the beginning -- 2012.  I was in my senior year at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, after I spent six years learning and working in the fashion industry. I kept seeing a trend, almost all fashion companies had surplus merchandise in their offices, showrooms and warehouses that no one knew what to do with. 

 

At 23 years old, I decided I wasn't going to get a "real" job after I graduated and I was going to go on for a Master's Degree to learn how to start a nonprofit.  Within two years, I started The Fashion Foundation, in a home basement, with one clothing rack of clothes donated from friends and family.

Fast forward to 2022, The Fashion Foundation has grown from a home office with one clothing rack, to an office filled with hundreds of thousands of pieces of merchandise donated from brands around the world.  To date, we've recycled over 195,000 pounds of designer merchandise to make over 23,000 children in need smile. 

How do we operate? As a 501c3 nonprofit, brands donate merchandise to us they don't need, which is often brand new and one of a kind.  We put the items on our website at a fraction of the retail cost where customers around the world can purchase.  With the proceeds, we provide local children with new school supplies, clean clothing, holiday gifts, books, and so much more.

As the founder of The Fashion Foundation, every day feels like a whirlwind, which is exactly why I'm here, writing this now.  There are quiet days where I spend hours sitting at my desk, answering emails and on calls. Then, there are days that we get a surprise that changes the course of this organization for months to come.  Like the day I got phone call from a company that was ready to donate 400 boxes (which we were not equipped to handle but I said yes any way and figured it out after) or the day where a producer from the Kelly Clarkson Show cold emailed us out of the blue for an interview to be on the show which gave us a platform like never before.

Over the last few years, it's been incredible to see the growth, pivots and obstacles we went through to get to where we are today.  Every day is an adventure and although I get to live it, I want to starting sharing it personally with you!

There's so much to write about, but I also want to hear from you! Leave a comment about topics you would like to read more about - our journey, our brands, day in the life, style guides?