Époque Évolution co-founder Nancy Taylor on why she says ‘responsibility’ instead of ‘sustainability’

“I was truly passionate about trying to do things in the responsible way,” she said. “So we took the word sustainable out of it and we used the word responsible.”

That word has guided the Époque Évolution business since it launched in 2018 as a direct-to-consumer fashion brand. Her company was acquired by the Montreal-based Lolë, best known for its athleisure products.

Now, Taylor is the vp of design over the entire umbrella company Lolë brands, which involves having all the various lines — Lolë, Époque as well as Lolë’s mass-market apparel line — work together.

Taylor joined this week’s Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about the transition from DTC startup to living under a bigger brand, as well as the perks of working with more resources.

“The biggest thing was blending the team together to work on all the channels. And so I think that was the biggest hurdle is that we worked in silos,” she said.

The acquisition happened about a year ago, and Taylor said it took about a year to get all the teams working together. Now, she’s focused on future projects, including growth for all brands and new products.

But another big part is cementing Taylor’s focus on responsibility — namely by getting B Corp certification. While she always wanted to get the badge earlier, there were too many hurdles.

“We always wanted to do it at Époque,” she said, “[but] we were a very lean team.” Now, the B Corp ambitions are back with the help of the Lolë parent company.

“In the meantime, we’re doing what we can,” she said.

Here are a few highlights from the conversation, which have been lightly edited for clarity.

On bringing Époque under Lolë
“The biggest thing was blending the team together to work on all the channels. And so I think that was the biggest hurdle is that we worked in silos. Before, we had a certain team that worked with Époque, we had a certain team that worked with Lolë. And then we had a certain team that worked with mass market. And so this whole year has been integrating so that all the teams can fluidly work between. We have a slightly larger team that’s putting all the brands together.”

Why responsibility is a better word than sustainability
“I was truly passionate about trying to do things in the responsible way. So we took the word sustainable out of it, and we used the word responsible. So responsible was a better umbrella that would encompass not only the raw materials that you picked, the construction that you made, the resources that actually made your clothing. So, it was a bigger umbrella than just the sustainable part of it.”

On the rigorous process of getting B Corp certified
“It’s a very arduous place. And you have to have resources that can help you move through it. We always wanted to do it at Époque but, again, we were a very lean team — like, we didn’t have a lot of financing; we worked really hard to get it to where it was. And to have the resources dedicated to just filling out the paperwork and going through the process is challenging. We are working with an agency now to help us measure, which I think is about 25% of the requirements for the B Corp… I think [B Corp certifications] are great. But sometimes they prohibit smaller companies from being able to execute and do it. So in the meantime, we’re doing what we can and we’re doing the right thing.”