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

Bené is not your typical clothing company. It’s where fashion and philanthropy meet.

Conceived in an effort to help educate young, school-aged girls abroad, the idea to create Bené started when one of the company’s founding partners, Michelle Blue, went to study abroad in Ghana to learn more about the textiles and the culture, while participating in outreach.

Studying business marketing and fashion merchandise at the University of Georgia at the time, Blue became inspired by the young women she met while there. She recalls their strength and spirit, “Despite everything that they didn’t have or seemingly didn’t have materially, they still had such love and such a beautiful spirit. I was really amazed and really in awe of them.”

She left forever changed.

So, she returned to the U.S., eager to share the story of those life-changing encounters with her best friend and Bené co-founder Sasha Matthews, also a college student studying at Florida A&M University. After putting their heads together, they decided they wanted to do something to help those young women. But, instead of making a mere one-time donation, they wanted to create something more sustainable to make a difference. So, they decided to start a company.

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Blue and Matthews thought long and hard about what they’d call their company. They wanted a name that would reflect their mission. After coming across the word, “benevolent,” its meaning resonated with them and they decided to use the word’s Latin prefix.

In 2013, Bené  was born, inspired by West African textiles and committed to sponsoring tuition, books, supplies and uniforms for young girls in Ghana to continue their education and fulfill their dreams.

Initially, they decided upon a clothing line, and worked ardently toward conceiving and launching a full collection of garments. But after spending some time working in New York City, exploring the garment district, meeting with pattern makers and manufacturers while also learning about clothing construction, Blue quickly realized just how much such a large undertaking required, both in knowledge and start-up capital. She says, laughing, “I realized … we don’t know anything about constructing clothes and garments. It’s very specialized … and we didn’t have the money to even start.”

Blue and Matthews paused their business affairs and took a step back to reassess what the next realistic move would be. “We knew that the need was still there, the girls were still there, so we were still compelled to act and to do something,” Blue says.

They reviewed the samples in their collection, saw the scarves and decided it was something they could handle. “You don’t have to worry about size, you don’t have to worry about fit, and what woman doesn’t love a great scarf?” Blue says.

Check out more on how Blue and Matthews were able to aid girls in Africa on the next page …

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.