KIKKA HANAZAWA OF FASHION GIRLS
“Fashion Girls represents my hope that one day I don't need to have both profit and nonprofit businesses. I want to combine them into a vertical, seamless operation.” - Kikka Hanazawa
Kikka Hanazawa GS’00 is an internationally recognized social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader focused on social impact, women’s entrepreneurship, and sustainability in the fashion world. She is the co-founder/CEO of Yabbey, a digital fashion library, and marketplace, and a co-founder of Fashion Girls for Humanity, an award-winning nonprofit organization. Previously, she was the CEO of VPL, a U.S.-based fashion brand and Certified B Corporation.
How did your journey as an entrepreneur and investor start?
Other women working in the corporate company I had worked for were pretty apologetic. When their kids were sick, they explained to their boss, “Hey, my son's sick.” I thought to myself, I can't come in and say that, I really don't wanna be apologetic when, for example, my kids are sick. I thought to myself: what can I do? The answer was to be my own boss. So, That's why I was looking for a company to invest in and I found VPL.
How did VPL come to be?
VPL is an acronym for Visible Panty Line, so the concept is underwear to be worn as outerwear. It was a very difficult concept back in 2006. Today, you see a lot of people in a sports bra around the street. That was not the case back then, but that was the concept. We were ahead of time, with the concept of women's clothing being shown as outerwear. But that is the concept I truly believed in. And that it was a concept that could last for many, many years to come.
What made you believe in the VPL concept?
In fashion there is a concept of a sample loan: designers have a showroom or a PR office. They show a collection and they come in to get clothing samples for a photoshoot, like Vogue. Oftentimes products are used to show women who are in transition. It could be Jennifer Aniston, Victoria Beckham, or Madonna when they're in a career or personal life transition. It could be divorce or it could be moving to the United States.
The image of women transforming into something else because they're empowered by fashion is displayed. So we were inspired to not just make good products but to create a brand that can really project an image that's beyond the practical clothing aspect, that's really what I looked for and VPL had it.
How was Fashion Girls for Humanity started?
I always wanted to do something good for society or for a higher purpose. September 11th reminded me of why I originally wanted to come to the United States, so I started thinking about a career in nonprofits. Then in 2011, the Japanese earthquake occurred. It made me realize that this nonprofit career is really something I should do. I should stand up and do something, but just giving 5% of our company's revenue, just like everybody else does, is not going to have a huge impact.
We wanted to help Japan after the Tsunami and earthquake that killed over 20,000 people. I did research and found that medical supplies, water, food, and shelter are more important than clothing. We raised about half a million dollars in the first two days of starting. We mobilized the industry to do whatever they could. We did it again and again with different disasters including Sandy in 2012 and then later the hurricane in the Philippines, and the Nepal Earthquake. We even helped in the bombing in Lebanon, Ukraine, and during the pandemic. During the pandemic not only did we raise money by selling masks but we also provided information about how to make medical gowns.
What are your takeaways and feelings surrounding the creation of FGFH?
I feel pretty good about that activity and many people who participated as a volunteer are still members of Fashion Girls today. They feel good about being part of it because it allows them to have a purpose, a mission, and to do good with their skills. You can leverage people’s excitement to be a part of this kind of business and do further good. So Fashion Girls represents my hope that one day I don't need to have both profit and nonprofit businesses. I want to combine them into a vertical, seamless operation.
What is the best advice you have received?
My Grandmother Uno Chiyo preached about many things but one of them is about happiness and wellbeing. This is an important concept that I'm very interested in right now. Especially when women live for 80 or 90 years today. Your life is long, you can become an entrepreneur when you are age 50 and you still have 40 years to go.
So despite all you hear about what you should do as soon as you graduate from college or business school, a woman's life is very long. After age 50 you could still do something else and start your career when kids are in college, so I'm very inspired by her life where she kept working until around 96.
And until she actually really passed away in 97, she said, any death before the age of a hundred is accidental. In other words, you can live long and you can have a really happy life.
Are there lessons or moments that you hold onto from your years at Columbia?
I always felt like I could do anything I wanted in my life. That was the feeling I had every day. Whenever I stepped on campus, and still today when I go back to Columbia, I feel like anything is possible. So that feeling is so special and one that I’ve never felt in any other place.
Once you go through any of the doors that you find at Columbia there is a feeling of optimism, just take that with you because it's so special and it's pretty much true. You can do whatever. If you're failing something, if you wanna take up a skill, or if you wanna update your knowledge, you can. Anybody can come back at any time. Whether you are a student today or a student in the future, you might come back again and again, the door's open.
Quick Take 1: Favorite fashion trend? American denim. - It's like wabi-sabi, the Japanese term for imperfection. It’s worn out and styled in different ways. You appreciate it for being worn and it goes through different generations to have that worn feeling.
Quick Take 2: Favorite thing to do for self-care or to stay active? Zen Meditation
Quick Take 3: Who is a woman you look up to? My Adopted Grandmother Uno Chiyo