VBT 162: Jena Bautmans of Jenah St. on Ditching Leather & Starting a Vegan Handbag Brand

In this episode I interview Jena Bautmans, the founder of Jenah St., a vegan handbag and accessories brand in Germany.

Before founding Jenah St. in 2019, Jena was the co-founder of Buckle & Seam, a men’s accessories company that uses animal leather.

While working in Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Pakistan, she experienced an awakening of how the land and people are impacted by heavy industries like fashion, which changed the way she looks at the world.

She decided to make a difference as a result of seeing how tanneries actually process animal leather and its impact on the environment, people and animals.

In this interview Jena discusses:

• Her diverse career journey from legal intern, marketing assistant and creative director to co-founder of a startup

• Her experience of being a female serial entrepreneur in a male-dominated startup space

• What she learned from founding Buckle & Seam that was useful in launching Jenah St.

• How she avoids the issue of over-production that is prevalent in mainstream fashion

• The company’s circular handbag program and how it benefits both the customer and the business

• How Covid-19 impacted her young business and how she handled it

• And more

Visit the Jenah St. website

RESOURCES:

My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight

My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business

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