As International Women’s Day (IWD) approaches, Yorkdale is excited to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women around the world. 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 makeup and skincare to clothing and lifestyle products, there are plenty of incredible brands helmed by female entrepreneurs that are worth supporting during International Women’s Day and beyond.
To help keep track of your fave women-owned and operated brands, check out our search engine, StyList. All you have to do is make a StyList account, search for your fave products from female-owned brands at Yorkdale 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 this International Women’s Day and beyond.
Move Female Fashion Forward
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. And while only a few luxury fashion houses have women at the helm (Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior, Miuccia Prada at Prada and Virginie Viard at Chanel, for example), there are still plenty of other women-led fashion brands that are making waves in the industry.
At Holt Renfrew, you can find lots of women-owned fashion labels, including Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s brand The Row, which has become known for its unique interpretation of everyday, timeless staples, Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS, which has set the bar for making shapewear more accessible to all skin tones and body types and Simone Rocha’s eponymous label, which has become wildly popular with fashion girlies thanks to its feminine, romantic and high-fashion silhouettes.
Other female-owned brands at Yorkdale include Anine Bing, whose pieces are staples for cool girl. Scandi style, Mejuri, the fine jewelry brand started by Noura Sakkijha that disrupted the jewelry industry. Plus, Kate Spade, the beloved fashion brand started by the late designer Kate Spade, and whose handbags and accessories are now designed by Jennifer Lyu.
ANINE BING
Mejuri
Makeup Mavens
Tower28
Fenty Beauty
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
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, Dr. Barbara Sturm’s highly coveted Glow Drops (available at Holt Renfrew, Hudson’s Bay and Sephora) and Drunk Elephant’s innovative Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser (available at Sephora) from founder Tiffany Masterson.
Sol de Janeiro
Dr. Barbara Sturm
Leaders in Lifestyle
S'well
Blume
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 is helping change the world one reusable silicone bag at a time, while Karen Danudjaja’s Blume 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, which has proven sustainability can be stylish. All three brands are available at Indigo, another female-owned brand, that has revamped lifestyle shopping by transforming a bookstore into a “cultural department” store filled with lifestyle products, home decor, paper goods and more.
Shop Local Love
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. At Yorkdale, be sure to visit Prairies and Petals, the nation’s leading floral boutique known for its beautiful, handcrafted arrangements.
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.
