Curvy Kate has always been passionate about making a positive impact on women’s lives through the power of great fitting lingerie. It’s much more than just pretty lingerie however we also want to share our contagious culture of uplifting and empowering women. Now, in 2022 the brand has partnered with The Girls‘ Network on a mission to inspire & empower girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a mentor & a network of professional female role models.
Why The Girls’ Network?
“I believe that being a woman is a superpower and not a limitation. We all remember what it was like to be a teen navigating the world, and this partnership makes an amazing contribution to the immersive Curvy Kate experience where empowering and uplifting women is at the very heart. We want to empower YOU to be great.” Rachel Jenkins, The Times Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders & Managing Director at Curvy Kate.
The Girls’ Network was founded in 2013 by school teachers, Charly Young and Becca Dean. Teaching in North West London, they noticed the multiple barriers facing girls in the classroom and beyond, including, the pressure to conform to ideals, low confidence and self-belief, along with limited access to role models who are women.Together, Charly and Becca established a one-to-one mentoring scheme with 30 girls. Nine years later, The Girls’ Network now supports more than 1,200 girls every year.
Mentoring matters, and it works. By matching girls aged 14-19 from the least advantaged communities with a mentor and network of role models who are women, The Girls’ Network seeks to empower and inspire them to grab hold of their unlimited future. By partnering with organisations like Curvy Kate, the charity supports young women to explore different career paths, gain access to work experience, and enhance their skills and confidence.
81% of mentees said that virtual mentoring helped them to focus more on school work! 98% of mentees said that having a virtual mentor helped them feel more positive about their future.
Six Curvy Kate employees have been inspired to step into the mentoring scheme, including Abi Osbourne, Curvy Kate Designer who speaks about her experience: “I chose to become a Girls’ Network Mentor as I grew up around a lot of women who didn’t have careers and I didn’t know how to get one, or what I wanted to do. Thankfully I had an amazing teacher who went through and worked with me on her lunch breaks. This felt like an amazing opportunity to give this experience back to someone else.”
And Rochelle White, Curvy Kate Merchandiser, hopes to develop from the partnership: “I wanted to become a mentor because The Girls’ Network is an amazing charity in which I am able to make a direct impact with an individual and help her prepare for her future. I hope to gain confidence for not only my mentee but also myself as we both go through this journey over the next 12 months to build and develop her professional skills.”
“We are delighted to be partnering with Curvy Kate to connect more young women with a mentor and role model who can empower and support them. At The Girls’ Network we say ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, and with women training to become mentors at Curvy Kate, mentees will learn about new career pathways and be empowered to explore a future of their choosing.” Charly Young MBE, Co-founder and CEO at The Girls’ Network
