Innovation

Grey Rock Clothing Co. is a Certified B Corporation that supplies sweatshop-free, organic, and ethical clothing. It is located in downtown Guelph, and it recently just celebrated its fifth anniversary this September. The innovation for Grey Rock Clothing Co. is buying and selling sweatshop-free clothing. Additionally, the company makes it accessible for people who “want to do the right thing” and purchase sweatshop-free clothing, due to the fact that when the founder of Grey Rock decided to open the business, although there were a few sweatshop-free clothing options in other stores, no one store was completely dedicated to providing sustainable, good-quality, organic, sweatshop-free clothing. Furthermore, the innovation is also curating the clothing that goes into the store. Grey Rock “carries over 40 different brands,” and the founder of Grey Rock, Bethany, curates the products personally by selecting fashion-forward clothing. The products that are curated are not mainstream “westernized” options; rather, “they reflect the cultures of the people that manufacture the products.” Grey Rock Clothing Co. is very aware of their marketing; Bethany understood that when creating the name for the store, including the words “sweatshop free” might alienate some people, so in order to make it appealing for everyone, a more ambiguous name was chosen for the company.

Inspiration

The innovation originated with Bethany’s husband. The founder of Grey Rock stated that her husband came up with the idea about first developing an app that would allow shoppers in downtown Guelph to find where they can purchase sweatshop-free items, but once they realized that there were very minimal options, Bethany decided to build a socially conscious company that exclusively sold sustainable, sweatshop-free products. Additionally, the innovation emerged because Bethany believes that “you can change the world with your everyday purchases,” so she wanted to create a store in which consumers could purchase clothing and make a difference in the world.

The motivation for doing the innovation stemmed from wanting to provide fashion-forward, sustainable clothing. The founder of Grey Rock Clothing Co. stated that she “always liked clothing, and people shouldn’t have to sacrifice on style to do the right thing.” Bethany also said she believes that “companies have the power to change the world” and that business owners should do what they would normally do (attempt to make a profit), but do so in an ethical way.

Overall impact

The short-term effects of Grey Rock’s operations were that steadily more awareness was raised regarding ethical, sustainable, and sweatshop-free products, and the long-term effects were that people’s lives in developing countries were positively impacted because they were being paid fair wages, which allowed them to earn a living. Additionally, another long-term effect is the general awareness that was raised in Guelph about the ability to buy and support sweatshop-free clothing, and how that inadvertently affects other people.

Business benefit

Providing sustainable, sweatshop-free products accounted for a positive impact on the business. As a result of the innovation, Grey Rock Clothing Co. has seen an increased awareness of sweatshop-free items among consumers. Since 2012, the year the company opened, Grey Rock has seen more and more consumers become aware of where their clothing is coming from and how it’s manufactured. As a result of the increased consumer awareness, the company’s profits have grown 20% each year.

Social and environmental benefit

The innovation also has had a positive impact on society. As the business grew and awareness of sweatshop-free products increased, people began to question more and more where their clothing was coming from. Grey Rock Clothing Co. helped the consumers “think about not just where their clothes are coming from, but also the long-term impact of that.” As well as having an impact in Guelph, Grey Rock Clothing Co. has had an impact on developing countries. Due to the fact that the products sold by the company are sweatshop free, Grey Rock provides employment and a living wage for people in developing countries.

Interview

Bethany Timlin, Founder