Bard MBA in Sustainability Grads Rethink Children's Clothing with Cahoots
L–R: Bard MBA alumnae Eliza Edge ’20, Lindsey Strange ’19, and Stephanie Erwin ’20. Photo by Kris Mae
Eliza Edge ’20, Stephanie Erwin ’20, and Lindsey Strange ’19 met in the Bard MBA in Sustainability Program. They were captivated by the idea of the circular economy and bonded over finding value in products that society deems “trash.” In particular—as an aunt, a teacher, and a mom—they saw an opportunity to develop a circular model for children's clothing, which can be outgrown so quickly. The team soon brought together their skills in apparel design, data, marketing, and operations to build Cahoots.
After a semester of working on the idea, the team pitched at the Bard MBA Disrupt to Sustain Competition and won. The panel of judges encouraged the three women to pilot the project, and the company took off. Cahoots now operates out of Kingston, New York.
Unlike other retail and rental models, Cahoots focuses on quality over new. Cahoots is the first ever closed-loop children’s clothing membership that artfully repairs and shares clothing to achieve a net positive impact. Through artful repair, they can extend the life of clothes and reduce the community’s need for new clothing production, where the worst environmental and social impact in the fashion supply chain occurs. Cahoots offers subscribing families access to their shared closet and the ability to borrow clothing as needed for up to a year.
Post Date: 11-04-2020
After a semester of working on the idea, the team pitched at the Bard MBA Disrupt to Sustain Competition and won. The panel of judges encouraged the three women to pilot the project, and the company took off. Cahoots now operates out of Kingston, New York.
Unlike other retail and rental models, Cahoots focuses on quality over new. Cahoots is the first ever closed-loop children’s clothing membership that artfully repairs and shares clothing to achieve a net positive impact. Through artful repair, they can extend the life of clothes and reduce the community’s need for new clothing production, where the worst environmental and social impact in the fashion supply chain occurs. Cahoots offers subscribing families access to their shared closet and the ability to borrow clothing as needed for up to a year.
Post Date: 11-04-2020