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Simple. And ethical

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  • 2015 
  • Emma Bowen

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.

“We not only believe that simple is sexy, but that simple and ethical is even sexier,” Bowen said.

Many people go into the family business because they have no choice. Bowen, an architectural studies major, did it in part because her Connecticut College education allowed her to pursue many interests. Courses she took in architectural studies and art, and in gender and women’s studies, helped her to investigate and address inequities in the world. In fact, Bowen’s devotion to slow fashion can be traced to her time at the College.

“The ethics imparted by my teachers in the classroom resonated deeply with me and supported my exploration of what it meant to ‘do my part’ in life, professionally or otherwise,” she said.

Bowen earned a master’s degree from Parsons School of Design, studying the history of decorative arts and design. She then began teaching design history and theory at Parsons, and practicing yoga. The two pursuits soon worked in tandem to revive Bowen’s interest in her family’s retail history.

“Being at Parsons, with such a strong fashion program, inspired me to explore objects that are even closer to the body than interior domestic spaces and the objects that fill them, and I started getting excited about ethical fashion. And now I teach yoga and run Najla. In the end I went from the closest designed object you can have on the body (lingerie) to focusing on the body itself.”

Her focus on the body includes choosing only natural materials, like organic cotton, which doesn’t expose the wearer to toxins used in the production of conventional cotton. Her intention is to offer two five- or six-piece collections of lingerie staples, with the occasional limited-edition release.

“This concept was very much rooted in the mindset of thoughtful consumption, not buying for the sake of buying, and having staples that can multitask,” Bowen said.

“If you buy things you love, that are high quality, and that don’t necessarily relate to the latest trend through their aesthetic, they will serve you more often, last longer and, yes, perhaps—hopefully—encourage you to buy less.”




October 30, 2015

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