Women-Owned Brands for Custom Merch
Women-Owned Brands for Custom Merch
Shop Women-Owned Merch Brands for Supplier Diversity
At Merchology, we’re excited by the world’s movement toward equality. The business world, in particular, has been making big strides in recent years. Leaders are looking to diversify their personnel, and they’re also looking to expand their business partnerships. Many companies have set in place supplier diversity goals, seeking to buy from minority-owned companies, therefore supporting diversity in the business world. After all, the key to a better world is making sure we represent as many different voices and perspectives as we can!
One of the most promising changes we’ve seen in the business world is the increase in women-owned companies! Women in leadership bring a whole new skill set and capacity for growth in a predominately male sector. The number of women-owned firms is growing every year, totaling 42% of all American small businesses. This is an increase of 13% since 2010! By definition, a women-led business is at least 51% owned by women. The terms “women-owned” and “women-led” have become interchangeable, but “women-led” can refer to companies where women make up at least 51% of upper management positions.
We know that although there has been significant growth in gender equality in business leadership, we still have a gap to close. At Merchology, this topic hits especially close to home: Ally Ward-Delgado is Merchology’s co-founder and CEO! Her leadership inspires us every day. We want to create space for female leadership in our culture. That’s why we want to highlight the women-owned and woman-led businesses we partner with at Merchology!
S’well
Sarah Kauss launched S’well in 2010 with her sights set on better hydration and increased philanthropy. Sarah started out as a tax consultant and international real estate developer, and she has a degree in Accounting from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She had a passion for eliminating single-use plastics and decided to do something about it.
She developed an insulated bottle that keeps drinks cold for 36 hours to keep people from reaching for another plastic water bottle from the refrigerator. Sarah Kauss has been named a Fortune’s “40 Under 40” honoree and an EY Entrepreneurial Winning Woman. As a brand, S’well has been named the #1 Fastest-Growing Women-Led Company by The Women Presidents’ Organization and has won the Brand Design award by Inc. Magazine.
From the original custom S’well water bottle design, the brand has grown to include food accessories, barware, coffee tumblers, and much more, all available in a wide variety of colors and patterns.
Some of our favorite Custom S’well products:
- Custom S'well Teakwood Bottle 17 oz
- Branded S'well Onyx Eats 21.5 oz Food Bowl
- Corporate S'well Calacatta Gold Tumbler 18 oz
Kate Spade
Kate Spade has been known for its trend-setting handbags and accessories since the late 90s. The brand’s founder and namesake Kate Spade graduated from Arizona State University in 1985 and went on to work in editorial fashion for several years. After a bout of inspiration, Kate decided to create her own handbag line and began designing with no formal fashion training out of her New York apartment. After a few years, her brand took off, and it is now worth 2.4 billion dollars.
In its early years, Kate Spade won the New Fashion Talent in Accessories award, and in 1998 she won Best Accessory Designer of the Year. The designer was named a Glamour Woman of the Year in 2002, and her brand has been recognized as a leader in accessories ever since. Her vision for the brand was to make fashion fun and accessible as she’d seen the industry’s reputation for being stuffy and intimidating.
The brand grew from its small line of signature handbags and now features everything from wallets to clothing to dishware.
Some of our favorite custom Kate Spade products:
- Logo-Branded kate spade Black Watson Lane Mega Sam
- Custom kate spade Pale Vellum Margaux Medium Tote
- Corporate kate spade Sienna Cameron Street Lacey
Columbia
In 1970, the Columbia brand was taken over by Gert Boyle after decades of operation. Her parents founded the company, named Columbia Hat Company, in 1937 as a fresh start for their family after escaping Germany. She led her company with the ideals of perfection and continuous improvement, desiring to put forth the best product she could offer. Columbia apparel is made to withstand outdoor adventures from climbing to fishing to paddling.
Columbia has been recognized for its work supporting Black women anglers and sponsoring GirlTrek, a nonprofit that helps encourage healthy lifestyles for Black women and girls. The brand’s support of health and safety during COVID and the trust it has fostered with customers has placed Columbia on the Forbes Halo 100 list for 2022. This list recognizes companies that offer quality and have a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility.
Columbia has grown into a multi-billion dollar company from its humble hat shop beginnings and is now a leader in outdoor sportswear apparel.
Some of our favorite custom Columbia apparel products:
- Custom Columbia Men's Black Steens Mountain Full-Zip Fleece
- Embroidered Columbia Men's Sail Blue Bahama II S/S Shirt
- Corporate Columbia Women's Cirrus Grey Sparkler Print Powder Lite Jacket
By adding your logo to these women-founded brands and women-led companies, you and your team will be supporting a future of equality for women in business leadership! Name-brand products with your logo that help support gender equality? That sounds like a win to us.
Merchology: A Women-Led Company
At Merchology, we’re proud to celebrate our fearless leader, Ally Ward-Delgado. She is a co-founder of our company and had a major impact on the direction of our brand, shaping Merchology into what it is today. As of 2022, Ally is now CEO of Merchology!
Because of Ally’s leadership, Merchology has created corporate apparel for over 60,000 companies across the globe. We are firm believers in sustainability, serving as long-time members of the 1% for the Planet program and launching our sustainable corporate apparel brand, Zusa. With Ally’s leadership and commitment to brand relationships, quality corporate apparel, and unparalleled service, Merchology has ranked as one of the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies for 4 consecutive years. Merchology has also been honored as one of Newsweek’s America’s Fastest Growing Online Shops of 2022 and has been recognized by many Twin Cities publications as a great place to work and a leader in local business. We are so grateful for her leadership and ingenuity!