Dôen, the fashion firm that has changed the rules of the game

Margaret and Katherine Kleveland had a dream. In 2015, and after working several years in the textile industry, these Californian sisters decided to create their own clothing brand, spurred by the scarcity of women at the head of them. “Women design, buy, we carry the garments. But on a few occasions we are owners of our own businesses, ”they explain. Thus, in 2016 they launched Dôen, a fashion and lifestyle firm (in addition to the woman's collection, it also has accessories, children and home line) that, in addition to adorable designs, whose prices are around 400 euros, was born with The firm intention of changing the rules of the game of this industry. To his local team, formed exclusively by women, they also add a firm labor ethic, which affects not only its central offices in Los Angeles, but also all collaborators with those who work in India, Romania or Portugal. “It has never been clearer than the personal is political and that businesses are intrinsically political as well. Everything we do as a brand and company has a domino effect on our team, our community and society and industry in general. ”

A political conscience that places feminism and sustainability in the center of their business, helping these two sisters to create a strong and united community.We talked with them about the present and future of their brand, and the pressing and necessary changes in the fashion business.

A little less than a month ago you closed your online sales page for a week.It is nothing common in a fashion firm.What led you to make the decision?

Pausar our website for a few days last month was certainly unusual and unprecedented.During the months of July and August, we face several problems caused by the implementation of the new system, a reduction in employee capacity within our distribution center due to social distancing guidelines recommended by the centers for the control and prevention ofDiseases (CDC), and a high volume of orders on the web.We had already anticipated and communicated to our community a certain amount of delays, but we also had to take a moment to pause before launching our next collection.This has allowed us to serve customers who have trusted us and help our work teams catch up.

How and when did you decide to launch Dôen?

Dôen was founded in 2015, promoted by our personal experiences in the fashion industry.We were inspired to observe how atypical it is to see women at the head of signatures, although it is a large part of women who design, buy and wear clothes.It began as a group of creative women based in Los Angeles with the aim of improving that model, supporting working women in all aspects of the organization, the supply chain or the community.

Why did you decide to do it only online?

Coming from a wholesale environment, we make the decision to be a direct brand to the consumer to receive feedback directly from the client instead of being a mere intermediary (retailers).It seemed the only way to have an intimate connection with our client, and also provide us with the ability to offer our clothes at a more affordable price.Online trade seemed the best place to start.

Last year you opened your first store in Santa Monica, what is the balance of these months?

Opening the store was something we had been studying for a while. After our launch in 2016, we began to receive emails from customers around the world who were looking for a physical place where they could experience the brand. Thus was born the plan to try a store. We always had our eyes on Brentwood Country Mart, since we spent a special time there with our affectionate aunt when we were growing. We realized that people tend to be safer with their purchases in a store, since they are not necessarily familiar with size. During this exciting period of adding new categories, we felt that it was important to have a destination where customers could enter and tested the entire range of the collection, especially articles such as shoes and coats. We saw that our client wanted to touch and feel the clothes: the fabrics and the prints that we work so hard to develop internally, but that they do not always move to a screen. Of course, we love and continue to grow with our web client (especially since we buy us), but there is still a consumer who wants to experience a brand in person, understand clothes tangible before buying.

How would you explain Dôen's aesthetics who are not familiar with the brand?

We think of our clothes as easy, feminine and versatile.We aspire to help our clients dress from head to foot with the greatest possible ease.What we hope makes you feel safer and more elegant throughout the day.From bringing your children to school to the office or cocktails at night;Or simply play on the floor with your family.Our selection is vintage inspiration with a point of nostalgia, with one eye for timeless details and refined ornaments.We always prioritize beauty over the trend.Dôen's collections have a different Californian aesthetic, with the ability to move from one season to another, from interior to exterior and special to informal occasions.Our clients know that our clothes are designed to really live.

What do you think women love your brand?

Our client knows that when supporting Dôen, he is buying in a brand that is owned by women and, in turn, protects women in their workplaces worldwide and struggles to close the gender gap.Beyond our product offer, our client community seeks us, not only for comfort and what makes them feel better, but also for our immersive aesthetic world and the backbone of the principles of our brand.

One of them is your strong sense of community ...

We believe deeply in the strength of the community and we are proud of our connection with our clients, which goes beyond a typical customer/retail relationship. We are a company that is proud to be feminist, directed by women. Our audience has been receptive to our free posture on political issues, ethics and women's rights. We have been open about how we manage our company and the organizations we support. We want our clients to know that when they support us, they are supporting a company operated by women who work mainly with operated and owned women's suppliers, which aims to close the gender gap worldwide through access to education (with Our partner room to read) and to medical care (with our Planned Parenthood La), which is building the movement of ethical fashion. We consider that using our brand as a platform to promote messages that connect with a bigger purpose is a great honor and privilege. Building our community has been crucial to us to form a customer base of those who want to buy in a brand with which they align personally and in which they firmly believe.

What particular actions are carried out from your brand?

As a company owned by women and operated by them, the question of closing the gender gap supporting women's access to medical care and education has always been of particular importance to us.We have encouraged long -term collaborations with Planet Parenthood the and Room to Read from our launch.And when collecting money for these organizations every year through events, parties and offers of specific products, we can support our mission through the work of these two incredible institutions.

How important is sustainability and labor ethics in Dôen?

We are committed to ethical practices and continuous efforts in conscience with our planet. From the launch of our first collection we promised to find new ways of thinking about our operations and our culture. As a company, we feel a deeply entrenched obligation to commit ourselves to the necessary work to turn the traditional processes, question the standards and improve the processes at each point of the supply chain. We also know that the true impact of clothing manufacturing, from agriculture to sewing, distribution and all intermediate steps, is almost impossible to measure. We firmly believe that sustainability is not a unique solution for all and will require the fusion of progress between several sectors, from the supply chain to marketing. We know that we will have to work collectively to improve our practices to understand the delicate ecosystems of our planet, and the supply chains that are inextricably linked to the Earth, and find new ways to get involved responsible in the design, retail sale and the Creation of clothing.

Any particular initiative?

Some of our initiatives of this year have been affected by the COVID-19 but will continue to be priorities for us in the coming months (and years!). To begin with, our sampling process differs from conventional industry standards because we are direct to the consumer: we can produce almost all of what develops, resulting in less wasted samples, less wasted meters and minor consumption of dyes, water and other resources. In addition, this year we have been making a slow transition to organic cottons, but this was intentionally planned as a gradual change so that we can use the leftover fabrics that we already have at hand. For us, this is another example of the many forms of sustainability, and illustrates how a turn to the organic, but moderate with a more reflective and considered approach to the use of all resources can be achieved. We are also delighted that our first recycled threads arrive this fall! We are dedicated to finding alternatives to single -use plastics: we are currently developing an ecological alternative of paper, cellulose and vegetable ink to polyethylene bags that is composable and recyclable.

And in mind to work ethics?

In terms of ethical manufacturing, we work mainly with factories in India, Italy, Peru, Turkey, Romania, Portugal and here in Los Angeles. Most of our collection occurs in India, where our partner has been leader in ethical practices. Annually publish a triple result that informs not only about profitability but also on the impact on people and the planet, finance the education of their workers' daughters (a demographic group that would traditionally be excluded from education in favor of the education of education of The children), and the monthly wages are almost double the monthly decent salary of the region. In Peru, we work with a WRAP certified installation and a point gender program with fair trade certification, through which weavers establish their own prices. Our Romanian factory works in 70% with solar energy and is supervised by the Higg index of social and environmental sustainability performance. Both our provider of Portugal and the Turkish manufacturer are currently certified by Oeko-Tex and comply with social and environmental audits. We are very concerned with ensuring that our manufacturers are aligned with our ethical values, and that they are also champions of the empowerment of women in the workplace: we work almost exclusively with suppliers owned by women or co -owners.

Los consumidores siempre encontrarán formas de expresarse a través de la moda, pero esta pandemia puede cambiar el comportamiento del consumidor. Los consumidores jóvenes parecen preocuparse menos por ciertos símbolos de estatus pasados ​​de moda. ¿Está la industria de la moda preparada para responder a este cambio?

We believe that the fashion industry, like so many other industries, has been on the verge of an important change for quite some time.As we have already seen this year, some of the legendary institutions and presences of the industry have not been able to respond to this change and have fought hard to find a way of turning, reinventing and renewing their understanding of the market.At the same time, there are incredible opportunities at this time to reinvent the industry.This may be a time to discover how we can collectively rebuild fashion and clothing in a conscious way, while we present ourselves as leaders with an understanding of the impact of the industry on the planet, social justice, racial justice, the rights of the rights ofworkers and environmental justice.

Do you think the fashion industry has learned something from this pandemic?Will something change?

In the short term, the COVID-19 definitely changed some of our plans by 2020. It has never been clearer than the personal is political and that businesses are intrinsically political;Everything we do as a brand and company has a domino effect on our team, our community and society and industry in general.We have always used our platform to defend the causes we defend, and this moment has not been different: both the pandemic and the Black Life Matters movement made us realize that we needed to be even more frank, even more honest, to defend even more these causes inthose that we believe deeply.

How has the Covid-19 crisis changed its plans in Dôen for 2020?

Our priority since the beginning of the pandemic has been safety and health, both of our team here in Los Angeles and our extended team abroad with all our partners and suppliers.We work closely with our partners to ensure that their workers were safe and their health was a priority, beyond physical health, but also in terms of food, labor and salary security.However, the pandemic and its impact ended up delaying some of our deadlines for our current initiatives of 2020. Although we have been able to advance with some, such as the transition from some styles to organic fabrics and a new execution of sizes that includes XXS and XXL,Some of our efforts have had to concentrate on the next seasons.Our sustainable polyethylene bag has also taken us longer to develop and obtain due to closures.

When would you say that the brand is right now?

In the long term we have clung to our fundamental values and our brand vision.We begin the company as a group of women of creative mentality in order to empower women in the workplace and create a new business dynamic that would allow growth, true association and equity for women.This fundamental principle is something that we always rely on challenging and uncertain times.The group is also a natural network of mentors and an organic support system that raises and provides perspective from a variety of different experiences and areas of specialization.This structure, which already exists from our foundation, has allowed us to find assistance, guidance and support when we need it most, and contributes to our collective success.

What are your future plans?

With the idea in mind of dressing our client from head to toe, we have expanded our offer to more categories of clothing, including our first foray into exterior clothing last fall, and the continuous exploration of new areas, such as girlfriends, accessories , and deepening the assortment of our children. Our goal is to explore additional growth roads, including inclusive size in all category, as well as expanding our supply of home articles. We consider that we are a brand of integral lifestyle, prepared to grow in many roads and channels, with a clear identity and vision that allows us the emotion and opportunity to associate with other brands and creators of women owned by women as we develop Our assortment. Finally, one of our next big objectives, and an area in which we see an incredible growth potential is to grow our international client base. Although we currently have a solid international client base, the ease of shipping by associating with an international warehouse and providing our excellent customer service in different time and languages, is key to the improvement and development of international experience and exhibition To Dôen.