Mari Lynn Bland, better known as Bob Bland (born December 17, 1982) is an American fashion designer, and activist. In 2017, Bland created and co-chaired the 2017 Women's March.
Video Bob Bland
Personal life
Early life and education
The daughter of two public school teachers, Bland was born in 1982 in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C. She was born under a different name, which she continues to keep private out of concern for media attention. She was sewing by the time she was eight years old and put on her first show in high school, with 32 original creations marching through the cafeteria and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and the Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in fashion design.
She served as a youth minister in Pohick Church, and in 2005 when serving as summer staff in a Woods & Waters Workcamp said she wants her charges to "reach out to people and show them what Christ's love is".
Family life
Bland married her high school sweetheart, Michael Foulger, in 2009. They were wed at Trinity Church on Wall Street in New York City. They left the city after purchasing a historical home in West Philadelphia.
Bland has two daughters, one born in 2011 and the other born shortly after the US election in 2016. During the Women's march events in 2017 she often brought her baby girl on stage with her, had been photographed with her, and spoken on the topic of modern motherhood. She says it gives her new perspective and reason to improve the world.
Maps Bob Bland
Fashion
She worked on the design floor for Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, and in parallel started her own label, Brooklyn Royalty in 2006. Bland attempted to source production locally, but faced difficulties. In 2014 Bland said that her line participated in four to five fashion week events since being founded.
Activism
Manufacture New York and ethical fashion
In 2012 Bland founded Manufacture New York which operates a 160,000 square foot industrial plaza in Sunset Park Brooklyn named Manufacturing Innovation Hub for Apparel, Textiles and Wearable Tech, and a work hive for independent designers. Bland worked closely with congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and solicited grant money from NY city officials, receiving grants from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Growth Accelerator Fund, followed by a 3.5 million grant from New York City. In 2016 the organization was part of an initiative named Advanced Functional Fabrics of America that was awarded $75M federal grant from the Department of Defense.
Following the 2013 Savar building collapse which killed more than 1000 in Bangladesh, Bland has called for on-shoring of the apparel manufacturing industry saying that cheap fashion from off-shored manufacturing exacts a toll in lives and lack of sustainability.
Women's March
Bland originated the idea of the Women's March on Washington and associated international marches held after the inauguration of Donald Trump. Bland tapped Linda Sarsour, Tamika Malory, and Carmen Perez as co-chairs in order to give the march a diverse leadership team.
Bland later criticized the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. According to Bland, white women are complicit in white supremacy as they benefit from it by virtue of being white due to white privilege, and therefore they should let people of color take the lead in the struggle.
Honors and awards
- New York Observer Brooklyn Machers List 2015: The New Industrialist
- Fortune 50 World's Greatest Leaders
- 2017 Time 100's Most Influential People
- 2017 Webby Award Social Movement of the Year
- Glamour Women of the Year (awarded to 24 organizers of the 2017 Women's March)
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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