Marlies once told me that as her Head of Product & Design, I have given her wings. “Knowing that you have my back, I can reach incredible creative highs,” she said. Well, she has done the same for me. Since we started working together, over 20 years ago, Marlies has pushed and stimulated me both professionally and personally. She has empowered me as a woman. And she gave me the wings to extend this kind of female empowerment to other women. In the case of our Bringing Females Forward program, to a group of women on the other side of the world.

One of the things that made me fall in love with marlies|dekkers – besides the gorgeous lingerie, of course – is the company’s combination of a green heart and a feminist soul. We make beautiful products with an empowering message in a way that does not harm people and protects the environment as much as possible. For example, from the beginning, we have closely monitored our employees’ working conditions, and with 90% of them being female, this turned out to be an extension of our core mission – to build female confidence!

It’s actually a part of my job I’ve always really enjoyed; ‘hitting the factory floors’ in Asia, reaching across cultural and language barriers to connect with the women who make our products in person. I relate to them not just as partners within the same (supply) system, but also as women. Looking into their eyes, I see the same professional pride, the same desire to contribute something to the world, the same insecurities. I see women who deserve wings.

In my role as the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer, I was able to initiate a special training program that offers these women the opportunity to develop themselves on a personal and professional level. Bringing Females Forward (B.F.F.) was created around Marlies’ motto ‘dare to dream, dare to grow, dare to be’, and based on her hugely popular ‘Unlock your Potential’ journal and seminars. A way to empower not just the women who wear our lingerie, but also the ones who make it!

Supported by consultants from the Rainbow Collection (an impact agency focused on sustainability strategy) and a grant from ICSR (the Dutch government’s organization for international corporate social responsibility), we partnered up with Cara Tse and Bobo Ji, general managers of the Asset Underwear Chain Group, who wholeheartedly believesin our mission. As Cara told me: “It is important that women learn what they want in life and how to stand up for themselves.”

A selection of women from different departments of Bobo’s China factory are now fully immersed in the B.F.F. program. We created a safe and supportive environment where, during several sessions over the course of a year, we explore our dreams and desires while developing the skills to actualize our ambitions, on the work floor and beyond. It’s too early yet to share the final results, but the feedback so far is very positive. A great reminder for all women out there: claiming time and space to grow is an indispensable first step towards bringing ourselves and other females forward.