If you hadn’t heard, The Lead will tell you, digital fluency is today’s number one key indicator of business success for the future.
The Lead is an online commentary, quarterly publication, recognition and event series aiming to bridge the fashion and retail industry with the Global Silicon Valley, while empowering the industry’s transition to digital centricity. They focus on the ‘sweet spot’ in the fashion, retail and technology markets where innovation is shifting behavior and creating new business opportunities.
Infographic from the-lead.co
They recently published their list of “Foremost 50” fashion and beauty brands who integrate the use of technology organically into their business model – aka ‘Digital Natives’ – making them the best predictor of what the future holds for retailing in the fashion industry.
“We believe that The Foremost 50 collectively point to where the fashion industry is headed. We also understand that extracting and providing information doesn’t add value unless the findings lead to action. Taking action in our world requires vision, risk and leadership in the truest sense. Taking action means breaking the rules and getting dirty while doing so.” Noah Gellman, Editor in Chief – the-lead.co
“We are pleased to present the 2018 Foremost 50 List, a group of break-out digital native brands and retailers that are reinventing and redefining the future of fashion and retail. Creating this list of 50 companies was not done lightly, and there were more than a few heated debates as we narrowed it down to the final selections.”
“These 50 companies were chosen less for their products and more for their business execution. Our goal was to build a list that not only recognizes break-out companies, but also acknowledges the collective trends and best-practices that signal where the fashion and retail industry is headed. The products are not to be overlooked, but our predominant focus is on marketing and customer acquisition, customer experience, technology implementation, channel diversity and capital efficiency. We wanted to highlight companies that not only represent the future of the industry, but are also taking risks while creating investor value — Not an easy lift.”
Of the 50 need-to-know businesses leading the use of digital mediums for a new kind of fashion retail, we identified ten that are also leaders in ethical, sustainable or socially conscious business models, even more proof that you can be a leader in the fashion industry without taking short-cuts.
“Most brands started by getting one product right, and then diversified significantly.” thelead.co
Image – Allbirds x Outdoor Voices Campaign
Here are the 10 ‘Foremost’ conscious and sustainable fashion and beauty brands reinventing the industry.
(Data source: the-lead.co)
1. Allbirds
Eco-friendly shoes made with natural materials.
Founders:Joseph Zwillinger & Tim Brown
CEOs:Joseph Zwillinger & Tim Brown
Capital Raised: $27.5 M
2. Everlane
Ethically made, quality apparel without the traditional retail markup.
Founders: Jesse Farmer, Michael Preysman
CEO: Michael Preysman
Capital Raised: $18M*
3. Frank And Oak
A lifestyle brand for men & women combining sustainability, style, purposeful design, and technology while upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Founders: Ethan Song, Hicham Ratnani
CEO: Ethan Song
Capital Raised: $39.8M
4. Knot Standard
Custom clothing brand aiming to revolutionize the way men shop.
Founders: John Ballay, Matthew Mueller
CEO: John Ballay
Capital Raised: $23.4M
5. Kopari
Beauty products embrace & enhance the natural, made with 100% pure organic coconut oil.
Founders: Kiana Cabell, Gigi Goldman, Bryce Goldman, James Brennan
CEO: Bryce Goldman
Capital Raised: $15M
6. Milk Makeup
Beauty essentials made with natural, eco-streamlined ingredients for the girl on the go.
Founders: Zanna Roberts Rassi, Mazdack Rassi, Georgie Greville
Capital Raised: Undisclosed
7. Ministry of Supply
Creating a new category of clothing, performance professional, engineered dress clothes for the work day.
Founders: Aman Advani, Kevin Rustagi, Kit Hickey, Gihan Amarasiriwardena
CEO: Aman Advani
Capital Raised: $9.2M
8. Naadam
Socially-conscious, luxury knitwear brand that sources cashmere directly from local herders in Mongolia.
Founders: Diederik Rijsemus, Hadas Saar, Matthew Scanlan
CEO: Matthew Scanlan
Capital Raised: $16M
9. True Botanicals
Non-toxic, quality skincare products made with natural & organic ingredients.
Founder: Hillary Peterson
CEO: Christina Mace-Turner
Capital Raised: $14.1M
10. Warby Parker
Designer eyewear featuring at home try-on & a socially conscious business model.
Founders: Andrew Hunt, David Gilboa, Jeffrey Raider, Neil Blumenthal
CEOs: Neil Blumenthal, David Gilboa
Capital Raised: $290.5M
Meet the full “Foremost 50″ as selected by The Lead, at www.the-lead.co .
Welcome to the Ethical Fashion Review™
Would you like to see your News, Brand or Event featured on our site? To submit a business or idea and share your vision for a sustainable and ethical fashion future, please Contact Us.
