Fashion and Philanthropy: Bené Scarves is a Small Business With a Big Mission

The ability to pivot is what kept Bené going despite the obstacles. That decision to launch a scarf collection was a blessing in disguise, the women say. Working with a textile designer, the friendpreneurs share their vision for cohesive collections. Now, Bené has evolved into creating their own prints exclusive to their brand.

Bené’s commitment to the education and empowerment of young girls is clear: Buy a scarf, educate a girl. The company has committed to providing 5 girls with a year’s worth of education, with the goal of growing that number in the future. Currently each pattern is named after a young girl in Ghana, and Bené shares their stories.

Bené customers can shop online, choosing from a variety of beautifully patterned scarves in styles like the infinity scarf, the skinny scarf and the rectangle scarf. In their latest Spring/Summer 2015 collection, customers can now also choose from beautifully patterned caftans and kimonos, as well.

Upon purchase, customers receive a picture of the young girl named after the pattern, as well as their story so as to not only feel more connected to Bené’s cause, but to also connect with the young women that each of their purchases help to support.

In the last two years, Bené  has been featured among numerous fashion blogs, as well as in major outlets like Lucky Magazine, PopSugar and Upscale Magazine. The collections are also in Atlanta area boutiques.

Recently, Blue and Matthews were tapped to be featured in Pantene’s Stronger Together campaign, in partnership with Walmart. The campaign celebrates inspiring women. Bené’s co-founders were certainly a worthy pair because of their will to empower and educate young women and also because of their commitment to social responsibility.

Often, entrepreneurship can be a lonely road to travel, but Blue mentions the fact the journey Bené has taken would have been impossible without partnership with Matthews. She says, “I’m so thankful we work together, because truthfully, if we didn’t have each other, it wouldn’t have happened. We wouldn’t have gotten to this place.”

Stronger together, indeed.

Blue says that the main focus for the future of Bené is centered around providing educational funding for young women all across the globe and making a real impact. Her passion for her vision is contagious. She says, “When you educate girls, you’re not just educating them. You’re changing their lives, their family lives, and you’re contributing to their countries. When you think about what impact that really has, that can change the world. And if we can be apart of that? I think that’s awesome.”

Bené may be a small business, but it has a big mission.

To learn more about Bené  and how you can help them educate and empower young girls abroad, please visit: BenéScarves.com. You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Courtney Herring is the founder of The Champ Media Agency and a consulting entreproducer dedicated to helping time-starved entrepreneurs create effective content strategy to nurture inspired and engaged online communities. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.