Stylemakers Who Are Making a Difference

By looking out for the environment, the people they work with and the communities they are a part of, Stylemakers can help ensure that style can continue to grow and evolve for many years to come. These Stylemakers are giving back, doing good, and supporting others through their work and by lifting their voices to issues they care about. 

Sara Blakely (2011 Stylemaker), the founder of Spanx, created the Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation in 2006. It’s made of a rotating board of Spanx employees that allocate a portion of the company’s profits to various causes that support women. Last year, the foundation donated $5 million (through 1,000 grants of $5,000) to support female-run businesses during the pandemic. In 2013, Sara became the first self-made, female billionaire to sign The Giving Pledge, promising to give at least half her wealth to charity. In addition to her charitable giving and foundation activities, Sara’s good works extend to random acts of kindness as well, such as loaning her wedding dress to people she barely knows.

Molly Barker (2017 Stylemaker) founded Girls on the Run to teaches girls confidence through an active curriculum that creatively integrates running. Molly left the organization in 2013, and it continues to thrive: celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Girls on the Run boasts available programming in over 12,000 locations across the nation.