Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOPHIE EGGERMONT (ACCESSORIES); BRIAN MCCONKEY (WRIGHT) P lenty of people in the world are passionate about ending global poverty. What makes entrepreneur Kathleen Wright different is that she believes women are the key to mak- ing it happen. "[I had seen] studies about what happened when you got income into the hands of women in the developing world," says the 32-year-old Lakeview resident. "If you could empower women, you were naturally going to ensure that children would be educated and fed." Just over two years ago, Wright set out to prove the point by founding Piece & Co., which connects major fashion labels with artisan cooperatives in devel- oping nations. Through collaborations with brands like Alice & Olivia, Cynthia Rowley—and this month, Rachel Roy and Madewell—Piece & Co. employs women in Guatemala, India, Togo, Morocco, and elsewhere to work on capsule col- lection products. This year, the organization aims to provide work to more than 5,000 women. But for this native of Dixon, Illinois, a self-described feminist who attests, "I've always been a 'Women rule!' kind of person," it's still about each individual woman. Wright's project has rapidly turned into a calling. "The moment I knew I was going to be doing this for life was [when we got our] first big order," she says, recalling a commission to assemble 5,000 tote bags for FEED, "and I got to deliver the news to a cooperative in Guatemala. The peace of mind it gave them was so much more powerful than anything I had seen." Prior to founding Piece & Co., Wright worked for a similar nonprofit, the difference being that it offered women education and micro-loans— chunks of money they didn't necessarily know what to do with. "We weren't having the impact I thought we would have," she says. "And when I started to talk to the women about what they really needed, it was just work." With FEED's initial 5,000 -piece order, Wright was able to tell the group of Guatemalan women they had work for the next eight weeks. "For two months they would know where their next meal was coming from, they knew their children would stay in school. That pause in living hand-to-mouth was life-changing for them. That's how we correlate 'pieces' to impact." The idea of pieces applies to Wright's per- sonal style as well. "I'm all about [holding on to] individual pieces," she says. "Having things for a long time and making sure they're authentic; it's another thing that attracts me to artisan development." Case in point: On a daily basis she's mixing bold pieces ("statement heels, leather jackets, necklaces that feel personal") with smart, timeless ones that result from Piece & Co. collaborations with some of her favorite labels like J. Crew, Rachel Roy, and even Nordstrom. "[When I started Piece & Co.], I knew that the demand on the consumer side was growing for pieces that had a social impact," she says. Wright is now working on raising the second round of capital for her start- up company, which she got off the ground with help from initiatives like Impact Engine and advice from fellow Chicago businesspeople. "It seems like everyone in Chicago wants entrepreneurs here to succeed," she enthuses. "There's not a real sense of competition among entrepreneurs, either; the collaborative, friendly environment has been a huge propeller in my success." pieceandco.com MA ABOVE, FROM LEFT: The Bochica flats by Reef, FEED India tote bag, and a scarf by Cynthia Rowley are among the products Kathleen Wright (RIGHT) has commissioned for Piece & Co. Piece of Mind THROUGH NEW COLLABORATIONS WITH LABELS LIKE MADEWELL AND RACHEL ROY, KATHLEEN WRIGHT CREATES OPPORTUNITY FOR ARTISANS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. BY ELLE EICHINGER STYLE OF GENEROSITY 98 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 098_MA_SS_StyleofGen_Spring_14.indd 98 2/11/14 4:20 PM