Inclusive, Adaptable Design is Key to Brobe's Growth and Mission to Do Good
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Digital Content Director Kristina Stidham interviews Allison Schickel, founder and CEO of Brobe Intl., a line of recovery fashion for women and children. Schickel discusses her inspiration to create the original Brobe product (1:13) and how she saw an opportunity to expand her business to help children with illnesses by creating a superhero Brobe for kids (3:41). She shares how she’s reaching patients who would benefit from Brobe’s products (9:02), the evolution of her direct-to-consumer and digital marketing strategies (13:00), and why partnering with organizations like Susan G. Komen is essential to the brand’s growth and mission of doing good (16:30).
Schickel discusses why creating inclusive clothing is important to her (20:56), how designing adaptive clothing benefits both consumers and Brobe’s business (24:01), and how the mentorship she received as a Tory Burch Fellow impacted her and the brand (25:30). Lastly, she shares what’s next for her personally and at Brobe (28:42).
Allison Schickel is a wife, mother of three, CEO, mentor and speaker. She was inspired to create the Recovery Brobe when a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. Realizing the lack of functional and feminine products available for women, she decided to create something that gave women dignity and beauty during (what most would say is) the hardest time of their life. Brobe has become the leader in adaptive clothing by expanding beyond the breast cancer market to offer a range of products globally.
Allison has won numerous awards including ABJ’S Profiles in Power, Dallas Market Center’s Next Big Thing, Women’s Chamber Rising Star, 2019 Women’s Way Award Finalist from Austin Women Magazine, and was honored as one of 10 businesswomen selected for the 2017 Tory Burch Fellows program. She’s an honorary graduate from the School of Hard Knocks and currently mentors TVL students at McCombs School of Business and UT’s School of Communications.
Date: August 31, 2021
Credits: Allison Schickel
Duration: 31:10
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