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CREATING ECONOMIC AUTONOMY
Lauren Conrad & Hannah Skvarla
Interview & Words Phadria Prendergast
It had just turned 12:30am on a Tuesday morning in London, and over in sunny LA, it was 4:30pm and a Monday. Hannah was the first to join the Zoom call. We engaged in small talk about our weekend whilst we waited for Lauren.
Hannah’s weekend consisted of celebrating her son’s third birthday. Over in London, the city had almost fully opened again, but I had spent the weekend inside with some girlfriends. Quite frankly, I was still wondering how I would manage my already busy schedule, on top of the events and invitations that had already begun trooping in.
Lauren and Hannah’s publicist, Nicole joined the meeting room next. She and I had only communicated by email, but I could tell she was lovely. We laughed together as she jokingly mentioned my busy schedule, having wanted to schedule the interview earlier than I had been able to. Lauren had joined midway through our short conversation.
Lauren Conrad was once upon a time best known as the television personality on The Hills, which saw her at the forefront of the reality TV series between 2004 and 2009. Watching Lauren all those years ago as the budding fashion star, who stood her ground, ruffling a few feathers in the process, but was also a fan favourite - and speaking to her now about the life changing work she was doing, it wasn’t a fangirl moment. I really respected what she stood for. Her life had been progressive. She was now using her voice to influence change. She had reinvented herself and I was here for it. I refrained from asking any questions about The Hills. It was iconic, but it was old news and I didn't want to take away from the incredible work Lauren and Hannah were now doing.
Conrad was now a businesswoman, a designer, a changemaker, an author, a mother and a wife.
Hannah Skvarla could be best described as an advocate for human rights and a driving force behind women empowerment. She too, was also a mother and a wife. Growing up in a home that was largely about giving back and serving others, she had now adopted the very same principles within her own daily life. She previously worked with the Human Rights Watch, a global non-governmental organization which dedicates its time and services to human rights, where she spearheaded fundraising, event planning and raised awareness on key issues linked to human rights.
Now, the duo have co-founded an extraordinary platform called The Little Market, a nonprofit committed to facilitating economic autonomy for women and is dedicated to serving the most marginalised and underserved communities globally. For Lauren and Hannah, it wasn’t just about giving these women money, it was about creating a livelihood for them, which was what set them apart from other philanthropic and charitable endeavours. Through the powerful partnership in which Lauren and Hannah have created, the nonprofit reached a major milestone in 2020 - they had created one million hours worth of work for the female artisans they supported globally. Since its inception in 2013, they have worked with partners and artisan groups, around the world to provide communities of women with far more than just a job role.
Lauren: So Hannah and I actually met in school at FIDM, [the] Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and we were both at the Orange County campus. I was there temporarily before moving to L.A. and continuing to go to school there.
Phadria: And how old were you then?
Lauren: Gosh, that's a good question. How old was I? I think I was either 18 or 19. I'm guessing 19 because it was my second semester of college, so yeah, 18 or 19. And so we met briefly while at the Orange County campus. And then I moved to L.A. She also moved to L.A and then we re-met years later and became fast, friends and travel buddies. Hannah's an excellent person to travel with, so we started travelling and seeing lots of places together. She also was working in the non-profit space. She was working with [the] Human Rights Watch, and so she was always telling me about the work they were doing. She started inviting me to their events - it was all really inspiring. I loved learning about it and hearing everything, and I asked Hannah if I could come along on one of her trips, where she was visiting with nonprofits, because I wanted to get involved in some way. I wasn't sure what that looked like. So Hannah was nice enough to bring me to Africa with her and we did lots of different visits and talked about different ways we felt like we could make a difference. And that was where the concept for The Little Market was born.
Phadria: I love that.
So often globally, public schools are not free. So even what would be seen for us as a small school fee, is enough of a hurdle to keep girls out of school, because typically families choose to send their sons to school rather than their daughters.
Hannah: So like Lauren said, I had spent some time volunteering at Human Rights Watch. I was really lucky to have a family that really committed to social justice, human rights and giving back. So that was really instilled on us as we were growing up. And my family really encouraged us to seek nonprofit work on the ground, so you could hear directly from the individuals and communities on what they need and how you can be of service. I would share about the trips with Lauren and she said, ‘I'd really love to go on one, specifically to see how I can help or how we can make an impact for women and children.’ So we went to Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya and visited with organisations - everything from organisations that help with girls’ education to orphanages. And time and time again, Lauren and I were inspired by all the women we met and [were] really overwhelmed by the hardships they faced every single day. One thing Lauren and I talk about a lot is when we visited a young girls school and Lauren asked 'if you could have anything, what would you want?' And the girl said, ‘mattresses.’
Phadria: Wow.
Hannah: They were sleeping on cardboard. They wanted mattresses and a vegetable garden so that they could have access to fresh and healthy food. And I think both of us remember that so clearly. Just growing up with so much privilege, never wanting for either of those two things; those were always something we had taken for granted. We really wanted to be able to find a way to help more girls have access to those basic needs. So when we began talking about different ways we could help, we were trying to find unique ways to give back. There's already so many incredible charities and we didn't want to come out and compete with any of them.
We travel and find these beautiful handmade things. Often the techniques behind the items were passed down from generation to generation. Incredibly special. We realised that if the women who made them had access to a bigger, more global marketplace, then you could preserve the traditions and create sustainable income without the women having to leave the house. Because very often women have to walk for hours to unsafe and dangerous locations where they have work opportunities, where they may face harassment, discrimination and might not be paid properly. So by creating an income source for women where they can actually work from home, still take care of their families, do something they love, it really has an incredible ripple effect within the community. So often now women share with us that because of the handmade goods or because of the income coming in from their handmade goods, domestic violence decreases in their communities. So often globally, public schools are not free. So even what would be seen for us as a small school fee, is enough of a hurdle to keep girls out of school, because typically families choose to send their sons to school rather than their daughters. However, when women are in charge of the income and have their own income, they send their girls to school too. So the ripple effect for future generations is really massive. And that's what really inspires us to keep working every day to grow The Little Market, to be as big as possible, so we can help future generations break the cycle of poverty and have girls get educated.
I felt like I had a platform and people were listening, so I wanted to say something important. I wanted to use it to uplift others voices.
Phadria: I love that. I think what I find most powerful about that The Little Market is that it's all about people. You're thinking about people on every side. I was reading what your vision is all about and I found it extremely powerful that you not only think from the business side, which, of course, is the incredible women whose business you're pushing, but also think about your consumers, who get the opportunity to give back and give into this incredible work. So, of course Hannah, you grew up in this household, but Lauren, for yourself, what made you want to be a part of this?
Lauren: I felt like I had a platform and people were listening, so I wanted to say something important. I wanted to use it to uplift others voices. I wanted to feel good about the position I had been put in, [chuckles]. I felt like it was a responsibility given to me. So it was such a privilege to be able to help these female artisans with their work. It was something that I had been thinking about for a while. I wanted to be smart about it. I also wanted to make sure that I was using my strengths to do the best job possible. I had a background in design and merchandising, I had knowledge when it came to retail, I kind of had an understanding of the business side of this and Hannah had an understanding of the nonprofit world. So it was a really nice partnership in that way and our skillset was able to complement each other.
Phadria: You've actually taken me straight into the next question.
Lauren: Perfect [laughs].
It's one thing to read about the realities of someone else's life. It's another to to see them
Phadria: It was actually about business partnerships. And what I wanted to ask was, as you so perfectly put it, about understanding your role and understanding your position and how important it is to stay within your role and understand what you do for the business and not try to do what the other person does. Just to stay in your lane pretty much.
Lauren: Yeah, [laughs]. We have a very good understanding of what each other's lanes are. I think that that's one of the reasons we've been able to have such a great partnership with The Little Market. I'm in awe of how Hannah has been able to grow this business and run it. I’m so proud of her as my partner and I think that it has been such a nice experience. Anyone who's worked with friends knows that there are challenges, but it's been pretty seamless because from day one, we were pretty clear about our roles and we've kind of stuck with that.
Phadria: Absolutely, and Hannah, what would you say to that as well?
Hannah: Yeah, I think one of the things Lauren and I did and I remember our first official trip for The Little Market was to India and Nepal. I remember on that long flight there, I literally pulled up an Excel spreadsheet on the computer and we went over our roles and responsibilities. That was probably before any product was even ever purchased, but I knew it was really important for us to put our friendship first and have that always be its own thing and then have The Little Market be its own entity. Oftentimes, there is fluidity and we go back and forth on personal and business stuff, but I really wanted to make sure that there was never any conflict or challenges there, based on me wanting more of Lauren, than she was able to give, time wise or anything like that. So we really established clear roles and responsibilities truly before we started, and I'm so glad we did. I think so often in relationships, whether it's personal or business, there's not always those moments to really talk about what everybody's expecting out of their relationship for the future. I think because we set things up that way, it's part of why we've had such a successful friendship and working relationship. It's only made both of those relationships grow stronger and so I'm grateful that happened.
Lauren: I mean, one other thing that has also worked in our favour is that this is a non-profit. Neither Hannah or I take salaries. So when we're working hard to grow the business, we've sort of removed personal financial gain from the equation. It's really just all about doing everything we can to do right by the artisans we work with. So I think that also helps uncomplicate things.
Phadria: I love that. Absolutely. Another thing that I really loved as I was doing my research was that you're very transparent with what goes on. And as you just explained, it's not for profit. So what your consumers, your customers are giving into, you do openly show that work. I love that you have the reports online and they are easily accessible. How did you put this all together and decide that you were going to be so transparent? And I know Hannah you mentioned earlier that, of course, you didn't want to rival any other charities or try to take their space.
We take on that risk for them because we don't ever want a mother to have to choose between the cost of materials and school fees or healthy food.
Hannah: For us, we always wanted to figure out a way to share the impact of the purchases in a way that was really something the consumer could understand. We understood that because we had the opportunity to travel and meet with the artisans firsthand, hear the stories firsthand and see the impact firsthand, that meant so much to us and that would be a real challenge to be able to communicate to a customer who is purchasing, you know, glassware for their home. But we also understood the importance of telling the story, because the way we look at it is, the work Lauren and I put into The Little Market is to help these communities. And because we've been able to bear witness firsthand, we kind of feel like we have that obligation. So we work really hard to tell the artists and stories to the customers so that they have an opportunity to support the women that we care so deeply about.
Lauren: I would just add that we're really fortunate that in recent years, people have become so much more invested in the story behind the items in their home and the things we use in everyday life. Something that started out as just part of our mission statement has become really important in marketing these products and running the business. People want to know where these items came from, who made them. They want to know these things because they make that item so much more special. And also where a lot of people buy gifts from us, which is great, I think that people are seeking out these types of items and gift giving now. Again, it's a gift that gives back and it just feels - I don't want to say special again, [laughs]. I think people are really excited to give our items, which is great.
Phadria: Absolutely. You're absolutely right. People want to know the story behind things. I think especially now more than ever, everyone is more invested in a product when they know that story. So I really do love that on top of giving these women a platform to showcase their businesses, you also give them an opportunity to share their stories. So what was it like that first trip that you took together; the one right before that big idea to begin this all? What was that first trip like? And at what point did you know 'we have to do something about this?'.
Lauren: It's one thing to read about the realities of someone else's life. It's another to to see them, and I think that while we had travelled a lot and we had seen a lot and and heard about a lot of the things, this was for me personally, one of the first times that I was able to have more intimate visits and really educate myself on the hardships that a lot of people face in their everyday life. I think it's hard to absorb that and then walk away and do nothing if you have the capability to do something.
Hannah: That was so well said. I feel like I got the chills when you said that. I think Lauren's right. We really can't wait ‘till the world is open again and we're able to travel. We would love to bring more of our community with us to meet the artisans, because when you connect with [these] women, see how they're living, see the challenges that they face in their everyday life that women of privilege in the US can never really imagine, it makes you want to work so much harder on their behalf. But I think it's really important for each of us to figure out some way to have the perspective of how fortunate we are. When we talk about things like women's rights, oftentimes we're celebrating how far women have come, but I think it's really important that we acknowledge how much further we need to come and that just because changes have happened here, doesn't mean they're happening globally or if they are, they’re happening at a slower pace. So, I think what Lauren and I have seen is that when women have economic empowerment, that's when women's rights change.
We always talk about putting people before the product and the profit because that's why we started this.
Phadria: Absolutely and I want to speak about what it was like during the various lockdowns and at the height of the pandemic, because, of course, a lot of things were closed and these women are already in a position where it's difficult. Now to add another thing on to that, I can't imagine what it must have been like for those women. So what was that time like? Not only for them, but for yourselves, knowing that there's nothing you could even really do to help, because it was almost out of your hands.
Hannah: Unfortunately for many of the artisans we partner with, they haven't even necessarily seen the worst of it. We have a lot of artisan partners in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, which are all experiencing lockdown's and second waves of covid. I think, you know, at the beginning of covid, we didn't really know what it was going to look like for The Little Market. Our approach is always, 'how can we help,’ so our team communicated with our artisan partners to ask exactly that.
For example, our glasswork group in Mexico that makes beautiful glassware, employs artisans with physical disabilities who often can't find other work because of discrimination. Other sales accounts of theirs had cancelled their orders on products that were already made, so we said, ‘send it all to us, we'll buy it.’ So that was something we were able to do. Similarly, one of our groups here in the US that makes sugar scrubs and soaking salts, [they’re] young moms who have experienced domestic violence and homelessness. Lauren and I and our team actually came up with those recipes at my house to create work for these women, but because of covid, there were supply chain issues. They weren't able to get all the ingredients for the sugar scrubs and then they realised that because of limited capacity, because of the six feet separation, not everybody could be at work at the same time. So our team worked really hard to find a new group of makers for the sugar scrub. We actually partnered with a local non-profit here in L.A, that works with women who were trafficked to L.A. So actually for the first time, we created a programme of team members that are actually part of The Little Market team - not just artisan partners, who are making the sugar scrubs. So our team completely took on a new project.
There's different ways we've communicated with our artists and partners to see how we can be helpful. One of the other things we've always done for artists and partners is offer to pay for product upfront and in full. That makes a huge difference because typical retailers might not have to pay for the product until it arrives in their warehouse, but for the small artisan groups we're working with, by us offering that it means that they don't have to deal with the burden of the cost of the materials or the risk of 'is this going to sell once it arrives at The Little Market?' We take on that risk for them because we don't ever want a mother to have to choose between the cost of materials and school fees or healthy food.
Phadria: Wow.
Hannah: Before covid, our policy has always been when the product gets to us, it gets to us. We have certain holidays we try to get products in time for, but if it doesn't get to us in time, there's never been penalties. We always talk about putting people before the product and the profit because that's why we started this. And I think that just rings true now more than ever, because we were already set up to be able to continue to operate and serve the artisans through covid.
Lauren: I think another thing is because of the way Hannah runs [the] day to day here, sometimes we have to get creative, like she's saying. Sometimes an Easter bunny bag becomes just a bunny bag, [laughs]. We have to be flexible. One thing that Hannah did in the beginning of covid, which I thought was so genius, was [that] we work with Homeboy Industries and they do the printing on a lot of our bags, but they also run a bakery. For some reason, everybody just wanted to have baked goods during this time. Some people were baking themselves, but we worked with the Homeboy Bakery and had employees delivering baked goods all over and people were sending baked goods to each other. It was another example of trying to be flexible and creating job opportunities when possible.
Phadria: What I love the most is the fact that you are creating opportunities for these women and it's not just giving them money, you're actually giving them the means to make money, further themselves, learn new things and create, so I think that's really powerful. And Hannah you mentioned something about taking risks? I think especially for your business which is ultimately all about the people, there's a lot of risk that comes with people. So how important do you think it is?
Hannah: [Laughs], that's a good question. I don't think of myself as having a very high tolerance for risk, and I think with The Little Market, what we've done is so often when we bring on a new product, it's actually like an entirely new category or a new concept for our customer. So what we do is we start with a small, reasonable sized order that we know we'll be able to sell through. We don't ever want to get the artisans hopes up, meaning we want to be able to grow our orders season after season, so they can look forward to new orders, rather than getting a huge order once a year and then us not being able to return. I think because we spent so much time on the product development side and we spent so much time working with the artisans that really, by the time their product arrives, we feel really confident in it. So in that sense, it doesn't always feel like a risk. I think now with the growth we've had, sometimes it feels risky to not order enough, especially with covid, because we don't know when we'll be able to get more.
Lauren: We're not a high risk company. We have tried to slowly and responsibly grow this business over the years and take each opportunity to learn something about our customers. Again as a non-profit, you always want to be as responsible and thoughtful as possible whenever making any sort of investment. So, no, I wouldn't consider us high risk at all. And I'm actually perfectly OK with that [chuckle], because I love learning about a customer. I think I always just find it so interesting. What's going to sell? What's a top seller? What's a slow seller?'. You just don't know until you know. So I like that we've been able to really slowly grow this company.
Phadria: Absolutely, and people are at the forefront and foundation of all that you do. So even before this vision came to life. Did you think a lot about people? And as you've just said Lauren, you actually like getting to know your customer and how each person shops. Did you study what the customer might be looking for and who your audience really were?
Lauren: Well, it was a little challenging to do that because we were attempting to fill a void. We felt like there were some businesses that existed on a similar model,but as far as the products they offered, that's not what we were going for. We wanted to do something completely new. We wanted to do a very beautifully merchandised, edited selection of items from all around the world. And we wanted to pick items that we found [and] that we felt like we would put in our homes. We wanted a really elevated aesthetic. We wanted pieces that were easy to be styled in lots of different homes. We were very thoughtful with how we selected items, how we photographed them, styled them. It was really difficult because we wanted to do something that we felt like wasn't being done, and when you do that, you have no idea who the customer is. You say, 'I want this, you want this, our friends want this. There has to be a customer out there.’ We don't know how big or small it is. We don't know the best way to reach her. Running a business nowadays is so interesting because social media and algorithms are changing every day. So you're just constantly trying to figure out the best way to market. It was very much trial and error. Again, growing a business slowly in that environment was the best choice.
Phadria: Absolutely, and let's talk about the impact that The Little Market has created.
Hannah: Yes, so we reached a big milestone this year, and that is that we reached a million, dignified hours of work. What that means was we totalled up how much actual work we've created through our product purchases, and it's a million hours. And when we talk about dignified work, that means work where women are thriving, they're happy and in healthy environments where women are in leadership opportunities. Oftentimes the artisan groups are also doing community development, skill development, skill training and really providing so much more than just a job, so we're really, really excited about that milestone.
I think when we started, our goal was just to help as many women in as many places as possible. It's letting people make the thing they love making and were already making, but just providing a marketplace where they can get a fair wage for their beautiful handmade work. That whole concept was really something Lauren and I talked about a lot at the beginning, and when we were looking at different nonprofits and different ways to give back, one of the things I just remembered Lauren saying is with this online marketplace, there's no limit geographically to the number of people we can help. It's not just signing up for one campaign to raise awareness for our cause and one community. The bigger we grow this, the more people we can help all over the globe. And I think that's part of what's so exciting about working locally, nationally and globally. We have a handful of partners right here in L.A., many more throughout the US and more throughout the world.
For us, we're really looking to connect with the small producer groups, who wouldn't otherwise even be able to ship products internationally. Oftentimes it's actually our team helping to fill out customs paperwork for the products, helping to figure out the best shipping rates and going back and forth on even just how to best package the product, to get as much product in as possible [and] at the lowest shipping rates. So our team is incredibly involved and is truly invested in serving the most marginalised and underserved communities that wouldn't otherwise have opportunities for work like this.
Phadria: And Lauren, I'd like to speak a little bit on what you were saying about having a platform and wanting to give that back. Of course, many may know you from The Hills, where you were really loved. I love that this is something you strive for now and that you want to pass on your voice. You want to pass on your platform to others. It's really powerful. So what would you say to others, not necessarily about starting over, but about continuing, about growing - that just because you've done one thing at one point in your life, that doesn't mean it’s the road you have to continue down. I think the most beautiful thing is just growing. So would you like to expand on that?
Lauren: Well, thank you. That's so nice of you to say. I think I did television at such a young age and I was still in the process of figuring out who I was and I'm still in that process. I'm very much a work in progress, but I think that when you start to learn about things and you start to have passions and you feel like others should know, what a privilege to have a voice that people are listening to. I would also say to surround yourself with people who challenge you to do that and just continue to learn. Educate yourself about the things around you. I think oftentimes those that have these voices, have the opportunity to live in a bubble. They live a very glamorous life. So if you can share that platform with someone who doesn't have those same opportunities, I think that's really beautiful.
Phadria: I agree. And I really love what you just said about surrounding yourself with people that challenge you. That's actually something that my mentor tells me a lot, I think it's very, very key, that you continue to grow and it's clear that you've both done that incredibly well. I'm very excited to see where The Little Market will go from here. Are there any plans for The Little Market for the rest of 2021?
Hannah: I think for us, especially as covid continues to impact so many of the women we work with, it's really just figuring out how we can best serve them. I think just one example is in the past, something like glassware, we had only worked with one producer group, so we wouldn't create competition within our site for them. But now, because of delays with covid, we're looking to expand that. So we actually just added glassware from Egypt. We will be adding on glassware from Indonesia, glassware from Morocco. But it's an example of how we'll be looking to bring on more products and expand our collection, because now we don't see it as competing. We just see it as giving our customers other options, especially as we continue to see delays and challenges for the artisans who are making the products.