Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Konsker (CEO and Co-founder) and Brigitte Canty (Co-founder).
Hi Ellie and Brigitte, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Brigitte Canty and I (Eliana Konsker) became friends in college and bonded over our passion to change the trajectory of the fashion industry. My background is entirely in fashion and business, while Brigitte’s background is in environmental science so the combination of expertise makes for the perfect pairing. After graduating, we worked together to pursue our collective mission: promote the highest level of sustainability that exists in the fashion industry by connecting consumers to clothing brands committed to holistic sustainability. A year ago today, we launched Shop ZERO. When we first started out, we vetted over 500 brands that marketed themselves as “sustainable,” yet only 30 met our sustainability requirements. This year, we look forward to growth while bringing our customers a variety of new styles and bringing exposure to brands that prioritize environmental and ethical practices.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
With any startup, there are ebbs and flows. In the beginning, one of our largest challenges was finding genuine sustainable brands in an industry flooded with greenwashing. With our extensive vetting process, we’ve developed a standardized way to identify truly sustainable brands. Additionally, as a small, female-owned, and self-funded business, one of our largest challenges is acquiring space in an industry filled with multi-billion dollar fast fashion companies. As such, t it is increasingly difficult for the few, genuinely sustainable brands that exist to reach the masses, especially when larger, competing brands greenwash. The same issue exists for our platform, as we attempt to give a larger voice to the brands on our platform, given that they are routinely crowded out by greenwashing fashion conglomerates.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Shop ZERO?
Shop ZERO is the online platform for sustainable, luxury fashion. We are known for our holistic sustainability standards– taking into account everything from dyes, fabrics, and wastewater to safe working facilities and living wages for garment workers. The fashion industry currently uses sustainability as a marketing ploy to sell more products without enacting change. Shop ZERO combats greenwashing with transparency and education. We think it should be mandatory to tell consumers where their products come from, what they’re made of, and how they’re made.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Do something that you’re truly passionate about, your continuous drive will stem from that passion.
Just start: test the market, talk to your customers, iterate, and find what works and what doesn’t.
Appreciate slow growth and enjoy the process of learning while you develop.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopzero.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopzerofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopzero.co/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopzerofficial/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopzerofficial
Image Credits
Photographer: Dan Simantov
