This International Women’s Day we’re choosing to challenge inequality and stereotypes, and to fight for a more inclusive world. At Nomad we recognize the existence of gender bias in our world. That’s why it’s so important to celebrate International Women’s Day and shed light on these systemic issues. There are always ways to progress and here are a few ways we #choosetochallenge the patriarchal norms.
We choose to challenge the status quo of business as a man’s world by choosing female owned business partners. Our original manufacturing partner in Asia was woman-owned and operated; our accounting firm Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf is run by bad-ass women. Many of our wholesale distributors are women-owned companies. While our co-founders are men, we are still challenging the norms of business partners by working with businesswomen!
Here at Nomad, fostering an environment where our team can truly feel heard, safe and respected is core to a culture where women can thrive. Listening and learning is fundamental to our allyship, and while we have more work to do, we embrace the challenge of equality in the workspace and our society.
Our customerbase is and has been predominantly male. Many of our early products we're made with a rugged, more male-centric aesthetic. However, in 2020, we decided to make products for all to enjoy—no matter their gender. This effort was initiated, planned, and executed by the Women of Nomad. We wanted to make sure our female employees and customers felt the love in the Nomad gear they use.
We believe that every individual and every voice should be heard and respected. We are proud to be a diverse team that challenges inequality by creating an environment for all team members to feel comfortable to speak up and advocate for change. Our two largest teams at Nomad are run by female directors. That means that most employees at Nomad report to a female. Our warehouse in Hong Kong is proudly run by Bobo Lee, who oversees all daily operations and shipments in and out of her warehouse.
As a female leader in a male-founded company, I feel that I am in a prime position to amplify and advocate for the voices of all the women on our team. I hope to create a supportive environment and to be an example for women at Nomad to take up space as leaders.
The women at Nomad created a group for the women to meet monthly and discuss policy, mental health, how Nomad can support us, and how we can support each other. All of the men at the company are incredibly respectful and supportive of this group. And, whether we meet for lunch, a picnic or at a winery after work, Nomad finances all events and resources that this organization needs.
It’s easy to make a donation to a large organization run by men, however, at Nomad we often choose smaller local organizations that are run by and support women. Although these smaller organizations have less infrastructure and more hoops to jump through, we choose to donate to them to help our community. For this year’s International Women’s Day, we’ve donated to some of our favorite women-run organizations in the Santa Barbara area.