This year’s IWD campaign theme, “Inspire Inclusion,” calls on us to collectively foster a more inclusive world for women to create a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment.
One way to do this is by supporting women-owned and operated brands to help forge economic empowerment. From beauty and skincare to clothing and lifestyle products, there are plenty of incredible brands helmed by female entrepreneurs that are worth supporting.
To help keep track of your fave women-owned and operated brands and their products, check out our search engine, StyList. With StyList, you can search for products from female-backed brands at multiple Upper Canada stores and save them to a singular wishlist for future shopping reference or to share with your loved ones.
Read on to learn more about women-owned and operated brands that deserve your attention and support and beyond.
Shop Local Love
LEVEL Laser Med Spa
The Humble Kitchen
While showing your support for women-founded brands, don’t forget to show some love for local makers, too! By shopping locally, you’re helping foster economic growth in your community.
Local, women-owned businesses at Upper Canada include The Humble Kitchen, a delicious vegan and vegetarian eatery, Ma’s Best, which offers a variety of premium-quality soups made with nutritious and delicious all-natural ingredients and LEVEL, a luxury clinical spa.
Move Female Fashion Forward
Laura
Aritzia
As the fashion industry continues to be dominated by men, it’s now more important than ever to support female designers. After all, it shouldn’t only be males influencing what women should wear.
Some of our fave female-owned brands at Upper Canada include Aritzia, the celeb-loved fashion giant under the helm of CEO Jennifer Wong and Laura, the Canadian fashion boutique founded by Laura Wolstein in Montreal in 1930, 10 years before women in Quebec even had the right to vote.
Makeup Mavens
Fenty Beauty
Kosas
When it comes to the beauty industry, there is an abundance of women-founded brands that have revolutionized the way we approach cosmetics. Rea Ann Silva’s BEAUTYBLENDER single-handedly changed how we apply makeup, while Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty set new standards of inclusivity when it came to shade ranges. In the clean beauty space, Amy Liu’s Tower28 is one of very few brands designed for sensitive skin (and the only beauty brand to earn the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance), while Kosas founder Sheena Zadeh-Daly has proven that high-performing makeup that is actually good for your skin is possible. And then there’s Jen Harper’s Cheekbone Beauty, the very first Indigenous-owned and founded cosmetics company which is helping to create a space in the beauty industry where everyone, including Indigenous people, feel represented and seen. Find all these brands and more at Sephora.
Skin Saviours
Supergoop
Tatcha
If you look at your skincare closet, chances are your holy grail products are ones created by women. Take the celeb fave Tatcha Dewy Skin cream (available at Sephora), for example, which was created by founder Vicky Tsai who aims to marry Kyoto’s age-old beauty rituals with modern skincare tech. There’s also the TikTok viral Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream (available at Sephora), created by Heela Yang, and Dr. Barbara Sturm’s highly coveted Glow Drops (available at Hudson’s Bay and Sephora). And we can’t forget Supergoop!’s beloved Unseen Sunscreen (available at Sephora), created by Holly Thaggard.
Leaders in Lifestyle
S'well
Stasher
In the lifestyle space, there are several women who have made great strides in creating brands and businesses to make everyday life better. For instance, Kat Nouri’s Stasher (available at Linen Chest) is helping change the world one reusable silicone bag at a time, while Karen Danudjaja’s Blume (available at Coles) is on a mission to support wellness by recreating lattes with the magic of superfoods. Then there’s Sarah Krauss, who founded eco-friendly water bottle line, S’well (available at Hudson’s Bay), which has proven sustainability can be stylish. Additionally, Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company (available at Shoppers Drug Mart) has been a trailblazer in the consumer goods industry, empowering families to make safer and more sustainable choices.
With so many incredible women-owned brands, there are plenty of ways to inspire inclusion through your shopping choices. By consciously supporting these female-owned and operated brands, you’re contributing to an inclusive and empowered community not only during International Women’s Day, but also year-round.
