23 Of Our Favorite Women-Owned Fashion Brands To Shop Right Now

This month is an excellent one, and not just because we're experiencing the first signs of spring. March 8th is International Women's Day (IWD), a day dedicated to recognizing the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. While this is something that deserves attention all year round (a belief at the core of our mission here at Refinery29), we'll take the excuse to devote an entire day to celebrating our ladyhood. In fact, we'll take 23 of them — because even though IWD is tomorrow, March is Women's History Month. And the best place to kick off the festivities is by shopping women-owned fashion brands in support of each other.

We operate in a consumer space that's largely shaped by the convenience of mega-retailers like Amazon and the capacity of fast-fashion labels to spew out trendy garments by the minute. With so much newness happening so quickly, it's easy to forget about taking a step back and considering the ways our shopping behaviors impact the lives of women. So if there's anything you do to commemorate IWD, take some time to reflect on your own relationship with retail. Look at the last thing you added to your closet and ask yourself where it was made, who made it, and how much she (because 80% of the time, it’s a woman) actually earned from your purchase. Maybe you know the answers to these questions, maybe you don't. But we're here to offer up some tools to make more conscious decisions next time you've got the urge to hit *add to cart*.

We can take ownership of our roles as consumers by helping more businesswomen succeed, and by supporting companies with ethical production practices from start to finish. This is our month, ladies, so let's use it wisely. To start, we've come up with a list of female-led fashion brands that aren't just putting out some of the most sought-after products around, they're channeling some majorly feminine energy to lift up others along the way. Ahead, discover a handful of women-owned fashion brands that got us excited to shop, and make a purchase that matters this week.