If you have been down to the Fashion Industry Gallery lately, you may have noticed a beautifully curated space that’s home to socially conscious brands like 31 Bits, Sseko Designs, Tribe Alive, Krochet Kids, and KarmaLit Candles. Else Agency is light, airy showroom that’s filled with gorgeous products that are sold to generate revenue for amazing causes all around the world. It’s an inspiring space with a compelling story.
Lauren Cone, founder of Else Agency, got her start in fashion after interning with Nordstrom in 2003. As a graduate of Harding University, she had studied fashion in school and applied her knowledge in her internship and, later, in her job in the Savvy department of the store. After a transfer with the company to a store in Los Angeles, Lauren had the opportunity to meet reps who gave her access to the exciting world of wholesaling. She learned that she loved the wholesale aspect of the business, and she shifted her focus to a new-to-her sector of the fashion industry.
While Lauren loved mainstream fashion and the brands she represented in Los Angeles, she always felt a calling to serve. She and her family have been plugged in to a local church for many years, and she has traveled the world while serving on mission trips. She had always toyed with the idea of merging her passions for service and fashion, but ultimately the concept of her socially conscious showroom “fell into her lap,” she said, after a colleague asked her to represent a line that was made in Uganda with the goal of employing and educating women in the country.
“The thought of fashion for good lit a fire in me, and I had always assumed that my passion for fighting against international and domestic injustices would be separate from my love for the fashion industry,” Lauren said.
Else Agency is only open to stores but storeowners and customers alike can check out the amazing products she represents on Instagram and Facebook. The brands also have their own amazing websites and the products are carried in boutiques around the country, including Tribe Alive’s collection at Magnolia Market in Waco.
If you know someone who is Doing Good in Dallas, we’d love to hear about it! Share their story with us.
Photos by Hunter Folsom.
