Meet Mikayla Wujec & Naomi Blackman, founder of Alder Apparel and recipient of Founders Fund’s High Growth, $25,000 fund:
Who are Mikayla Wujec & Naomi Blackman and what is Alder Apparel?
Alder Apparel was founded by National Geographic Explorer Mikayla Wujec and fashion marketing leader Naomi Blackman. Alder was created because Naomi and Mikayla shared similar frustrations with outdoor clothing options for women. With their combined backgrounds they thought they could create something every woman can enjoy and feel comfortable in.
Alder Apparel offers inclusive sizing, community-informed design, sustainable and ethical production and a playful brand that starkly contrasts with the performance-driven, hard-core athletic brands that currently dominate the outdoor space.
They believe that outdoor recreation = happiness and the outdoor industry should be focused on fun, not exclusively performance and be a real leader in inclusivity, diversity and sustainability.
What are your plans for your funding?
These funds are absolutely invaluable to us at this stage! We will be using them for new product development of our winter fleece and summer outdoor dress.
Tell us what does this funding mean to you?
This support from the founders fund community is not only a massive financial help, but also such a vote of confidence from a community we respect and admire. Support, insight and advice from other female founders has absolutely underpinned our success to date and we're so excited to build more connections with founders and engage with this community!