Women-Owned Brands We Love

Women’s History Month is not over and I am still LOVING this topic. I meant what I said about taking every possible opportunity to uplift, empower, and promote all women. Our namesake, Anuket - Goddess of the Nile, was a powerful and revered goddess. Throughout Egypt’s history, women like Cleopatra and Hatshepsut held powerful positions as political leaders and many women held powerful and valuable positions in society. The origins of our products leave a legacy of strong, impactful women. So, I’d like to take the opportunity to highlight some modern day women-in-business powerhouses that I admire, support, and aspire to be like!  

While we are still fighting daily for increased equality for women, we are inspired by those who have blazed the trail before us. In the US, there are reports of women running farms and owning businesses as early as 1739. In 1848 it became legal for women to own property. Over centuries, we have grown and fought for more and with each step forward, we have risen to the occasion.  

As of December 2020, the US is home to 12.3 million women-owned businesses and 40% of all businesses in the country are women owned. These businesses generate $1.8 trillion in revenue a year. Last year, an average of 1,821 women owned businesses were established each day. However, women currently only hold 7.8% of CEO positions with companies like UPS, Clorox, Citigroup, CVS, and Dick's Sporting Goods. So we still have some work to do!  

Today I’m going to share a few of my favorite woman owned businesses with you. There are so many to choose from so I started with just a few favorites but we’ll continue providing many more recommendations in the future. One thing about me is that I love to share my favorites. I am not a “keep it all to myself” kind of gal!

Sew Much Hope Project is an organization based out of St. Petersburg that makes beautiful items, including their origami bag shown here.

Sew Much Hope Project:  

The Sew Much Hope Project is a “collaborative social enterprise” based in St. Petersburg, FL. The Founders, mother-daughter team Janet and Courtney Erickson, wanted to start a sewing program to help support refugee women that relocated in St. Petersburg. Volunteer sewing teachers help to teach women how to sew, which gives them the skills to participate in the co-op, where they are able to sell what they make and provide a supplemental income to their resettling families.  

Recently they have expanded to collaborate with the Refugee and Migrant Women’s Initiative in Riverview, Tampa. This collaboration has created the opportunity to serve more impacted refugees in the area, improving the lives of these women and providing them with a strong sense of community in their new home. They currently sew face masks, necklaces, and these amazing Origami Tote Bags, one of which I even took with me to Tulum. These bags are created with bright, vibrantly colored fabrics, easy to clean, and sure to catch the wearer several compliments. 

Two gorgeous dresses I wore from Rent the Runway, a genius woman-owned business that rents out designer clothing.

Rent the Runway:  

Rent the Runway is a sustainable fashion company that provides women the opportunity to wear incredible clothing while combating fast fashion and textile waste. We love this mission and even wrote a blog last year that offers a lot of information on fast fashion and why it's best to avoid it in exchange for more sustainable options.  

In 2009 Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss started Rent the Runway as a pop up shop on Harvard’s Campus. Their inspiration for the project came after Hyman’s sister ended up in credit card debt after splurging on a $2,000 wedding dress. They wanted to provide women with accessible luxury through sustainability, just like us here at Anuket Luxury Apothecary. Their concept definitely works. The average RTR member saves nearly $32,000 annually on designer clothes, which is why I’m a member myself! Want to give them a try? Click here to get started with savings! And keep an eye out on our Instagram page for tons of outfit inspiration.

Kathleen Doyle Murphy's handmade jewelry is exquisite, and is inspired by the stunning mountain landscapes she loves.

James and Jezebelle: 

I have a special place in my heart for James and Jezebelle because, SURPRISE, we are going to be launching our Demi-Fine Jewelry Collection with them so soon and I just know that you will love the collaboration. The owner, Kathleen Doyle-Murphy, handpicks each natural gem and stone that she uses in her work and each piece is personally crafted with passion. Kathleen draws her inspiration from the Colorado landscape that she has called home for more than 20 years. Find her amazing line here, and stay tuned for the, very near, launch of our super unique capsule collection!

Sara Blakely, the brilliant entrepreneur and founder of Spanx, speaking at a red carpet event for her company.

Spanx:  

Last, but never least, I had to include Spanx because I absolutely ADORE their founder Sara Blakely, who is such a badass. She is the youngest female self-made billionaire, and co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks, with THE MOST down to earth attitude who constantly uses her resources and platform to uplift and support women in business and women in general. She is such an incredible example of starting from square one and building the empire of your dreams. She got the idea for Spanx while working door to door sales. She continued to work her full time job while investing thousands of dollars of her own money into her idea to research different types of undergarments. 

I admire her tenacity so much. When she pitched her idea to a buyer for Neiman Marcus, she literally took them to the bathroom with her so that she could change into the product and demonstrate it. Talk about not taking no for an answer, right? Neiman’s bought in followed by Saks, Bloomingdale’s, and Bergdorf Goodman... and the rest is history! 

In 2006 she founded the Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation which helps women achieve their entrepreneurial dreams and she continues to give back to women in business through her foundation and in so many other ways.

As you can see, I kind of have a thing for self made women and women who rise by choosing to uplift the women around them instead of looking down or stepping on them. I’m a firm believer that there’s enough success in the world for all of us to achieve it and that we only get there faster by supporting one another.  

Do you have a favorite woman-owned business that I should know about? Share it with me in the comments! As always, make sure you’re hanging out with us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new and exciting content. Don’t forget to subscribe here for emails so that you get all of our first-to-know updates on sales, launches, events, and more!