Simple. And ethical
Emma Bowen ’01 runs a lingerie company yet wants customers to buy fewer pieces of lingerie.
Why would someone whose online lingerie company, Najla, which specializes in “natural materials with expert artisanship,” ask women to purchase fewer pieces of lingerie?
“Collecting a small number of classic, beautiful and high-quality undergarments that can transition from day to night is, in and of itself, an ethical and sustainable practice,” Bowen said.
Bowen believes in the “slow fashion” movement. This is not the typical fashion trend that goes out of style with each yearly incarnation of Milan, Paris and New York City fashion weeks. It’s a movement that runs counter to the current model of quickly pushing garments from the factory floor to the retail floor with low prices that encourage consumers to buy, buy, buy. Over-consume.
“The slow fashion movement encourages consumers to be more thoughtful about how they consume fashion for the benefit of humankind and the environment,” said Bowen.
Bowen launched Najla in 2014. “Najla,” a female Arabic name which translates to “wide-eyed,” was also the name of her great-great-aunt, who opened an eponymous lingerie shop in Brooklyn in 1920, where she designed and sewed custom undergarments using locally manufactured silks. Najla was eventually joined in the business by her niece Selma, who ran the business after Najla retired. Selma closed the shop—then located in Manhattan and also selling outerwear—in the 1980s.
Bowen knew both women and would visit them on childhood trips from her home in Coventry, Connecticut, soaking up their stories of the shop. In particular, she recalls Selma as vivacious, independent, stylish and a savvy businesswoman.
“I also have an entrepreneurial spirit, so her energy resonated with me,” Bowen said. “So, too, did her stories about running Najla. I had thought about resurrecting it as a brand of lingerie earlier, even in my early 20s, but I didn't feel equipped to do so at that time.”
Bowen’s incarnation of Najla recalls the early years of the family-run boutique. Bowen promises that each undergarment is made with careful attention to detail in New York City, and she supports local manufacturers and uses sustainable materials.
