Main Lines
Haute, an entrepreneurial project nurtured by the Haverford Innovations Program, launched with a fashion show in the VCAM lounge.
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Haverford Magazine
hen Class of 2023 classmates Eleanor Alix, Kayla Baquiran, and Madeline Webster teamed up for the Haverford Innovations Program’s (HIP) Summer Incubator last year, their entrepreneurial project took aim at two problems they’d identified in the fashion industry: its exclusivity—which makes it particularly tough for young designers from underrepresented backgrounds to break in—and the difficulty of finding unique, high-quality, sustainable clothing. With the help of mentors and speakers brought in by HIP Associate Program Director Shayna Nickel, the Haute team spent the summer learning about project management software,
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human-centered design, trademarks, copyright law, and more. They went on a business trip to New York to visit stores and met with lots of young designers. Finally, Alix, Baquiran, and Webster employed what they learned to create Haute, a web-based fashion marketplace dedicated to promoting sustainability and inclusivity that will also be a platform where designers can operate their own pages and sell directly to customers. “With Haute, we want to recenter fashion around values and vision,” says Alix, a neuroscience major and economics and psychology double minor. “All artists of all backgrounds deserve to have their story heard and their vision seen.”
PHOTO: SABINE MEJIA ‘25 (HAUTE)
Haute Brings the Runway to Haverford
