ABLE
Through long-term commitment to workers’ well being, ABLE is proving that when female workers thrive, their communities do, too.
About ABLE
ABLE was founded in response to an unsettling contradiction: Women make up 75 percent of the fashion workforce, yet only 2 percent of them are paid a living wage. ABLE founder and CEO Barrett Ward is fighting to change that. Ward started the company by teaching former sex workers in Ethiopia how to make scarves, and the company has since expanded its line to include clothes, shoes, jewelry, and bags. ABLE’s employees are 95% female, and the company publishes the wages of their lowest-paid workers at each site for full transparency. Their ultimate goal is to spur transparency for customers and brands across the fashion industry’s supply chain: ABLE’s evaluation system, ACCOUNTABLE, measures safety, equality, and wages. And their clothes are pretty great, too.
Why we love them
At ABLE, great ethics and supply chain are met with great products. If you’ve been looking for the perfect jean jacket to no avail, our whole team swears by the brand’s Merly Jacket. Our colleague Ciara says it’s soft and incredibly comfortable, and that the cut looks adorable with sweaters and other fall outfits. ABLE’s leather products, which are made with byproducts of the meat industry, are both durable and fashionable. KCM’s Alissa brought her Mamuye Classic Tote as her go-to bag across Italy and Spain on a recent trip, and is officially in love. It’s stylish enough to tote around Europe (no small feat) and fits so much. Round out your closet with one of ABLE’s silky, flattering tops. KCM’s Mary Kate loves the Mae Drapey Tee with jeans or a skirt.
