ABLE approaches fashion differently. Having set out by selling handwoven scarves by women in Ethiopia, it now produces leather bags, jewelry, clothing, and shoes that are sustainably and ethically made, making consumers invest more consciously in its purchases. It sold 4,000 scarves in the first two months. Founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 2010, CEO Barrett Ward and his team were amazed by the response. They realized that if you make consumers aware of their purchasing power, they come to the conclusion that they can and do make a meaningful impact. ABLE empowers the women in these communities by creating jobs that provide them with both dignity and a purpose. That being said, Able doesn’t skip on style. Its pieces consist of the perfect balance of style and functionality, and are sustainably designed to be timeless, so they remain in consumers’ closets for years to come. The brand also encourages its customers to share their purchasing stories, which has become the brand’s main mission so that they can see how the women who made the pieces benefit directly.
Half of Ethiopia’s population is made up of women and a large number of them are destitute as they are housewives, responsible for their children's education, and unemployed. The reason is that single women with children have less access to services such as education, vocational training, and job opportunities. Governmental and non-governmental organizations are looking for solutions in order to empower these women through training that is practical and short so that they can generate resources quickly. Today, the B Corp certified brand has grown immensely with expansions of product categories and location of impact. Able offers leather goods of premium quality, handmade jewelry, apparel made from GOTS certified materials, and shoes, and has become a larger scale business with partnerships in Ethiopia, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, and Portugal.
Investing in Women ABLE partners with vendors who share the same vision, to lift up women in impoverished areas, empowering them through correct wages, benefits, and in a safe and positive environment. Its two-pronged approach means coming together with other businesses to create better opportunities, as well as uplifting larger-scale businesses to improve its supply chain visibility management, As the brand expanded its product categories, it realized it needed to improve its transparency as it began to partner with these larger-scale vendors. Able quickly found that there was a lack of on-site audits that required more employee feedback, and so it went on to develop its own third-party social auditing system: ACCOUNTABLE. This on-site auditing system evaluates its own in-house jewelry studio and vendor partners in Ethiopia. This level of transparency increased awareness of the fashion industry’s biggest dilemma, that only 2% of fashion workers earn enough to cover their basic needs. Leading by example, ABLE has made sure that every woman in the company has ownership, is entitled to 100% paid healthcare, full maternity leave benefits, infertility and adoption assistance, as well as a flexible working schedule.