We’re beyond thankful for The Simple Folk, and how (with your support), it is now blossoming from a small business into a movement that’s quite simply beyond our wildest dreams.
With a grit and determination to stay true to our core focus of value driven leadership in consciously made clothing and lifestyle items, we have not only been able to take small but mighty steps towards shifting the paradigm in the fashion industry in a more sustainable direction, but we are also able to confidently say that we would never have been able to impact nearly as many lives without staying small and close to our roots. It goes without saying that a huge part of what has allowed us to stay independent and true to our cause, is your continued support. For us, it’s a confirmation of something we’ve known in our bones all along, and it feels like the perfect time and opportunity to highlight just how you help us (and all women) move the needle forward.
It has always been our belief that small businesses have the power to change the world as we know it and now there is evidence to support it! What’s all the more intriguing is that several studies show that women who operate small businesses tend to contribute in subtler, more intangible ways through what’s known as “the giving gap”—the net positive difference in which women redistribute their earnings into the well-being of our planet and those around them.
For Jamie and I this has always been part of our philosophy for The Simple Folk: to instill a culture of conscious decision making and thoughtful working practices, each and every day. For us this means embracing all things slow and being able to show kindness and compassion to the precious community around us and to the planet we live on: our partners who work tirelessly to make the small-batch, artisanal collections; the fabrics we choose to put next to our skin; and the families we support through this work (more on this below).
Women-Owned and Operated: Understanding the Giving Gap
In Rachael Roger’s brilliant book, We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman's Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power, she writes that women reinvest as much as 90% back into their families and communities.
What’s more, a study composed in 2016 by The Women’s Philanthropy Institute (at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy) found that women consistently gave 89% or more to charity than men. The same study also showed that women in the top 25% of income ranges gave 156% more than men in the same category even though we tend to have fewer cultural and economic advantages.
It makes sense because we tend to operate from a completely different paradigm in which the concepts of plenty, collaboration, and nurturing help make our planet a safer, healthier place to live for our children and all generations to come.
Simply put, when women earn enough, our communities thrive, and our world slowly but surely improves.
How You Help Us Change Our World
We’re incredibly thankful for the support of this remarkable community of courageous women, parents, and friends, and we know from our depths that we are all indeed better together.
As a small business owned and operated predominantly by women, we believe we have the responsibility to give back beyond the social and environmental impact of how we make our clothes. One of the ways we do this is by striving to touch as many lives as possible by supporting access to basic needs, educational opportunities, safe places where they can flourish, and the ability to realize their dreams and achieve their potential.
This is why, when you purchase from The Simple Folk, you are personally woven into the fabric of giving at so many different levels including:
- Prioritizing kinder, more conscious business practices that are gentler for our planet
- Contributing to the growing (and much-needed) shift toward slow over fast and less over more
- Encouraging our children to choose quality over quantity and live more sustainable, intentional lives
- Providing more opportunities for equality and generative incomes for our farmers, artisans, and craftworkers
- Making a positive impact for at-risk women, children, and disenfranchised communities through our philanthropic partnerships
Moreover, because we’re small, you can always expect exemplary customer service from our team of heart-centered humans who all deeply care about the greater impact of our work, our world, and your well-being.
We can't thank you enough for walking with us as we take small steps toward a more inclusive and abundant future for us all.