blog post

Gander Named Finalist in WWD X Unilever Prestige Project Connect Grant Initiative

Ijeoma
December 14, 2023

Introduction

Gander (fka Klara) is thrilled to announce that we were selected as one of the four finalists in the Project Connect: Bridging the Digital Divide grant program developed through a partnership between the prestigious fashion business news publication Women’s Wear Daily and Unilever Prestige.

The most recent grant program launched through the partnership, this competition seeks to support fashion and beauty businesses “humanizing technology and bridging the digital divide.” The recently-announced selection includes four finalists and one honorable mention, all of whom are women-owned companies. Finalists were evaluated and ultimately chosen for demonstrating a clear business model that solves a problem in the market, their prioritization of social impact and their potential to offer advancements at the intersection of technology and human touch.

Finalists

The Gander (fka Klara) team, led by Kimiloluwa Fafowora, is proud to be selected for consideration alongside the following women-led startups seeking to build innovative, socially impactful brands in fashion and beauty:

Hue Beauty

GlossWire

Sufai

Savitude

Conclusion

Thank you to the Project Connect council and its members Vasiliki Petrou, Executive Vice President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Unilever Prestige; Amanda Smith, President of Fairchild Media Group (parent of WWD); Carla Nelson, Founder of the Black Fashion World Foundation; Kevin Fried, Director of Retail at Google; John Melo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amyris, and Vicky Tsai, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tatcha.

Congrats to everyone. We are thrilled to be in such good company.

For details and background on this exciting grant initiative from WWD and Unilever Prestige alongside coverage of each finalist, read the full story inside the August 25, 2021 issue of WWD.

Ijeoma
December 14, 2023