As climate change anxieties heighten and more people begin looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint, a new Chicago startup is working to make slow fashion and sustainable shopping more accessible.
Balodana, founded last year by Dana Todd, is an online marketplace where shoppers can order custom-made and tailored clothing from independent fashion designers around the world.
Todd was introduced to the idea of slow fashion after becoming frustrated with low-quality clothing and inconsistent sizing, primarily sold by fast-fashion brands.
“It was really frustrating because I’d spend a lot of time trying to navigate all this nonsense,” Todd said.
She eventually found herself ordering custom-made clothing on Etsy, which soon gave Todd the idea for her startup—Balodana.
The slow-fashion supply chain model allows for a more sustainable process from top to bottom. The mass production of clothing is harmful to the environment because most unsold clothing ends up in land fills. Additionally, many people making garments in factories overseas endure particularly poor working conditions.
“Slow fashion is a different way of doing things,” Todd said. “You’re not getting one of 10,000 garments. You’re getting one of one.”
Most of Balodana’s 16 designers live in other countries, such as Ukraine, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Israel and Canada, but because customers order clothing directly from them, they get to keep most of the revenue. Balodana keeps 20 percent of each transaction, Todd said.
To buy clothing on Balodana, Todd said it is best for shoppers to have their exact measurements handy. Because garments bought on Balodana are made-to-order, customers have the ability to customize clothing by color and sometimes even fabric. Once customers place an order, Todd said they can expect to receive it in about two to four weeks.
In the event a customer receives a garment and it doesn’t fit, they have a couple options. Balodana won’t allow customers to return it for a refund, but will pay up to 25 percent of the garment’s value to get it locally altered. If it can’t be altered, the designer will replace the garment for free, Todd said.
Much of Balodana’s customer base is women over 35, but the company is increasingly resonating with younger consumers that are interested in Balodana’s sustainable approach to fashion, Todd said. Since launching, Balodana’s average order value is about $190.
Balodana, which employs eight people and is currently raising a $1 million seed round, is one of 10 companies in 1871’s latest WiSTEM cohort, a startup accelerator for female founders. Other startups in the cohort include fertility treatment finance startup emBorrow, on-demand attorney startup LawCo and women’s investing app Cloch Invest.
To date, WiSTEM has graduated 120 companies, created 715 jobs and raised more than $20 million, according to 1871.
“It’s a high-quality curriculum and it’s absolutely perfect for us,” Todd said of the accelerator.
