With Women's History Month coming to a close, The Women In Denim hosted a virtual discussion regarding actions aimed at supporting female denim workers around the globe and who contribute to every level of the industry. This global discussion was hosted virtually with women denim leaders joining the event from different corners of the world. Organized by denim experts Lucie Germser—founder of The Women In Denim, denim designer Anne Oudard and industry veteran Ebru Ozaydin, the virtual event built upon previous on-site gatherings that took place last year in Munich, Milan and New York.

"We want to support all the women in the denim industry [from students to CEOs] and empower them," Germser explained. "We are following the United Nations agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, and we try to team up with these organizations to have the best possible outcome."

Through its three pillars of connecting, supporting and empowering, the goal of the non-profit organization is to embrace solidarity to promote gender equality for women in the denim industry, which has traditionally been a space occupied primarily by men. During the discussion, the group shared stories of experiences during which the women were underestimated by their male colleagues, only to prove the men wrong. Unfortunately, this change of heart took time in many instances.

"It’s harder to grow your own business because every day you have to prove that you have value," Lucia Rosin, founder of denim consulting firm Meidea. "We are fighting every day, but we are here and we are very strong."

Following the outline created by the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the organization's 2030 Agenda for long-term progress, The Women In Denim is also concerned with pressing matters within the industry. Currently, The Women In Denim is focused on helping female garment workers—primarily in Bangladesh—who were negatively impacted through job loss and wage theft when major brands refused to pay for completed work due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional information or to help with this initiative, visit thewomenindenim.com/join-us.