International Women’s Day is here! Of course, every day of the year we should be supporting and showing love to all the women around the world, but today is definitely a time to make it a priority. There are so many wonderful female-owned brands and businesses to add to your shopping list. We’ve rounded up just some of our faves, but if we’ve missed any of your top girl power labels, let us know on our Instagram stories!
Here are female-owned brands to shop this International Women’s Day.
Noura Sakkijha—Mejuri
Noura Sakkijha founded Mejuri because she saw a jewelry industry that was built for men gifting women and not women celebrating themselves. She believes that everyone should be supporting each other, and therefore feel empowered to invest in yourself as well as the community around you.
Mejuri currently has its Golden Together campaign, to welcome International Women’s Day, which celebrates women and the remarkable things achieved together. You’ll get the chance to check out its “Golden Moments”, a seven-part interview series highlighting women who are barrier-breakers and industry disruptors empowering others to do the same.
Plus, this year, the brand has launched an awesome International Women’s Day collaboration with Jenna Lyons that features some incredible female changemakers. In collaboration with Jenna, Mejuri designed a bold new necklace and two new takes on the pinky ring – which was historically a piece of jewellery worn by men! These new pinky rings are for everyone and symbolize autonomy, strength, and individuality.
Joanna Griffiths—Knix
Joanna Griffiths is the Founder and CEO of Knix and KT by Knix the direct-to-consumer intimate apparel brands. Since launching the company in 2013, Joanna has built Knix into one of the fastest-growing intimate apparel brands globally ranking the 6th fastest growing company in Canada with over 3800% 3-year growth (a Knix item is now sold every 6 seconds).
Recognized on both the national and international stage for her work as a marketing disruptor championing the topics of body inclusivity, fertility, mental health, and postpartum; Joanna was the only Canadian to be named one of AdWeek’s 2021 Women Trailblazers, her long list of accolades includes Waterstone’s Most Admired CEO and Women of Influence’s Entrepreneur of the Year.
In March 2021, Joanna made headlines when she closed a $50M funding round three days before giving birth to her twin daughters. Throughout the process, Joanna had one simple rule: anyone potential investor who questioned her pregnancy and her ability to run a nine-figure company and be a mother was cut from the process.
Ellie Mae Waters—Ellie Mae
Ellie began building the foundation of her brand in 2016, but the roots go back much further. From a young age, she was encouraged to wear whatever whenever, so fashion became her form of self-expression. Growing up, Ellie was inspired by icons of music, fashion, and pop culture at-large, channeling their spirit in the way she communicated who she was – most often, through clothing.
This female founder fell in love with true style after moving to London to attend Central Saint Martins. It was a place where no one looked the same and everyone owned their individuality. This inspired Ellie to make her first piece. From there, she founded Ellie Mae, a Canadian luxury womenswear fashion house that fuses intentionality, individuality, and timeless design practices to create pieces that inspire women to define who they truly are.
Pivot Skincare—Cindy Berg
Founded on the values of family, health, and sustainability, Pivot Skincare was created by Cindy Berg and her three daughters: Emily, Sophie, and Emma. Around 20 years ago, Cindy was working at a dermatologist’s office, and she saw a need for a product that would help keep her clients’ skin hydrated and glowing, but couldn’t find one on the market that did the trick. From then on, she created a lovely unique formula that was a plant-based oil to nourish and smooth skin all year long. Give your skin the TLC that it deserves!
Melina Magnatta—Magnattude Co.
Melina Magnatta is the owner and only operator of Magnattude Co. which is a Toronto-based soy wax candle company. She began her entrepreneurial journey a year ago and admits that it has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding jobs that she has ever taken on.
Made with high-quality fragrances, essential oils, and 100% natural soy wax, each candle is delicately handmade. The brand believes that our innermost thoughts and feelings can be activated by our senses. Using the evocative power of smell, candles from Magnattude Co. are created to bring us back to some of the most significant moments in our lives.
Dominique Bernèche—Les Belles Combines
As a mother of seven children, Dominique created Les Belles Combines to facilitate the daily life of parents (and therefore mothers!) and help child development. With her sister by her side as a graphic designer and director of operations, the team that includes experts from different fields offers the best techniques to lighten the mental load of parents. Les Belles Combines is proud to be able to help local mothers by offering them solutions adapted to their needs.
Ariel Kaye—Parachute
Home is everything to Ariel Kaye, founder and CEO of Parachute. Founded in Los Angeles in 2014 as a digitally native brand, Parachute has since expanded beyond its roots — premium-quality bedding — to include essentials for all rooms in the home. In the last eight years, Ariel has evolved Parachute into a beloved home lifestyle brand with 15 brick-and-mortar locations across the US, with each retail store serving as gathering spaces within their neighborhoods. In 2021, Parachute launched in Canada, marking the brand’s first international expansion, offering their collection online at ParachuteHome.com/en-CA and exclusively in stores and online at The Bay.
Ariel has created a culture committed to wellness and social responsibility, which extends from Parachute’s team and partners to its customers and the planet. Parachute partners with the United Nation Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign to donate life-saving malaria-prevention bed nets to those in need. Building on its commitments to sustainability, Parachute recently launched their first-ever GOTS Certified Organic Collection of bedding and towels. This year, the brand is approaching conscious consumption with deeper sustainability commitments by expanding into more responsible materials, becoming Climate Neutral certified, and working with ethical manufacturers.
Jen Rubio—Away
Jen Rubio is the co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of global lifestyle brand, Away. Under her leadership, Away has been named one of Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies,” one of TIME’s “50 Most Genius Companies,” one of LinkedIn’s “Top Startups,” and a Forbes 2018 “Next Billion Dollar Start-Up.”
Before starting Away, Jen built her career as a branding, creative, and social media expert, redefining how customers and brands connect at companies like Warby Parker and AllSaints. She has been included in Forbes “30 Under 30” list for Marketing and Advertising, Inc.’s “30 Under 30” list, and NRF’s “People Shaping Retail’s Future” list.
Shiza Shahid—Our Place
Shiza Shahid co-founded Our Place to build a business rooted in representation and positive change. As an immigrant, Shiza literally found her place by cooking for and breaking bread with her chosen family. She started Our Place as a space that celebrates cultures, honors traditions, and cultivates connections.
Shiza grew up in Pakistan as a vocal advocate for women’s rights and social justice. She co-founded the Malala Fund and built the organization as founding CEO.
Jess Fried—Dainty Diamond
Founder of Dainty Diamond, Jess Fried, was actually inspired by her father who entered the jewelry business 30 years ago.
With a love and passion for high-quality jewelry, he worked The Diamond Showcase (his jewelry company) every Saturday and Sunday for as long as she could remember. Fast forward 20 years, her dad consistently asked any one of his four children to join him in the jewelry business. As the determined young woman Jess is, she actually turned down the offer and instead pursued her master’s degree.
Then, in 2019, she graduated from Western University with a Master’s of Media, Journalism, and Communication, but something just didn’t feel right. Jess was on the hunt for a career that she was passionate about, and it turns out it was right in front of her the whole time.
Abby Albino—Makeway
Abby is a natural leader, community connector, and champion for the BIPOC experience. Her career in the fast-paced sports industry inspired her to Co-Found Rise Tribe, a charity focused on powering the next generation of Filipino-Canadian youth. Her love for sneakers lead her to her side hustle as the Co-Owner/Founder of Makeway, a ‘for womxn, by womxn’ sneaker, and streetwear boutique located in Toronto.
“We were tired of seeing a lack of representation for women in sneaker culture along with the stereotype of what it means to be a professional within the sports industry – so my business partner and I broke the bias and decided to open our own sneaker store for women, by women. According to a study by Simplii Financial 90 per cent of young Canadian women are interested in starting a ‘side hustle’ to earn money outside of their day job. To be honest, I’ve never been great with money, but I learned that small lifestyle changes and finding simple digital solutions allowed me to save and manage my money smarter, ultimately making it possible for me to open my shop.” said Abby Albino co-founder of sneaker boutique, Makeway.
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