SEATTLE — Founded by Nyree Corby, Fame and Partners is a made-to-order fashion company known for designing dresses that fight female poverty. The business is female-led, female-driven and female-inspired and has thus created an unstoppable chain of women empowering women. Five dollars of every sale goes toward nurturing and supporting some of the most vulnerable, marginalized communities in the world and help fund partnership projects with U.N. Women, Akilah Institute for Women and Plan International.
The United Nations General Assembly created U.N. Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in 2010, accelerating the organization’s goals on gender equality and the empowerment of women. Women around the world still lack access to decent work, basic education and healthcare. Women suffer violence, discrimination and are too often under-represented in political and economic realms.
Together with Fame and Partners, customers can help end violence against women. According to the company’s website, “In Papua New Guinea, 100 percent of women experience violence and sexual harassment, affecting their ability to do business and weakening their communities.” Donating one dollar at checkout gives support for women to rebuild their lives and live free of violence.
Fame and Partner’s dresses also fight female poverty by raising funds that go toward building the future of women. Nine dollars provides another day of education for women in developing countries. Akilah Institute for Women in East Africa delivers a unique model of market-relevant education that helps young women achieve economic independence and become leaders in society. Statistics from the Akilah Institute for Women show that 88 percent of graduates move directly into jobs within six months, launching careers in a wide range of industries, including financial services, telecommunications, education, health, hospitality and manufacturing.
Fame and Partners is also partnered with Plan International, a humanitarian organization that fights for a just world through the advancement of children’s rights and equality for girls. Millions of girls in Uganda miss or drop out of school because they can’t afford the menstrual supplies they need. Five dollars from Fame and Partners is equivalent to one year’s worth of hygienic, reusable feminine products, helping keep girls in school.
In 2016, Plan International was active in 71 countries and reached 17.1 million girls and 15.5 million boys. The organization’s five-year global strategy aims to deliver significant change for girls and boys by empowering them, tackling causes of discrimination, responding to crises and supporting the safe and successful progression of children from birth to adulthood. Plan International states that “every girl and boy has the right to be healthy, educated, protected, valued and respected in their own community and beyond.”
Along with its production of dresses that fight female poverty, Fame and Partners has taken to social media to inspire others to contribute to charitable causes at the national level. The hashtag #SLAYITFORWARD on Instagram spreads female empowerment, and for every hashtag used, Fame and Partners donates one dollar to organizations such as the National Immigration Law Center, the National Organization for Women (NOW), Running Start and Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.
While Fame and Partners makes women feel important through its customized collection of dresses, it works at a deeper level to ensure that women around the world are cared for and receive the necessary resources and tools to thrive.
– Mikaela Frigillana
Photo: fameandpartners