Social Enterprise (SE) Spotlight
Eden+Elie
Our beginnings
Eden + Elie began at the confluence of design and impact. We first launched as a socially conscious brand, with handwoven jewellery produced by a team of artisans, who are individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
One of our core beliefs as a social enterprise is to achieve a good match between what the market wants in terms of product/design and our working model for impact. When Eden+Elie first entered the market in 2015, we adopted a lean start-up model, entering with a small collection to answer the question of "will this sell?" and "will people pay this price?"
After we validated the product-market fit, we started recruiting individuals from vulnerable communities as artisans. We did not originally envision that we would hire adults with autism - but we found that they were by far the most consistent and best fit to our business needs.
Co-Founders of Eden + Elie, Leon and Stephanie
The work we do
We are committed to uplifting communities in need by working with them to bring new sustainable products to market, creating value through design, and changing perceptions of what truly constitutes affordable and sustainable luxury.
Today, we are an impact-driven design house that creates modern products for sustainable living. We aim to challenge the current emerging narrative of "buy nothing in order to do good" by connecting conscious consumers with purpose-driven products that create economic opportunities and reduce inequality for communities around the world.
Impact created
Our beneficiaries were unemployed and for most of them, Eden + Elie was their first job. Adults with autism tend to be socially isolated and regress after formal education stops after the age of 18 (for most of them in Singapore).
To date we have,
- rovided training and long-term employment (more than 4 years) to 12 beneficiaries, 11 of whom are adults with autism spectrum disorder.
- Achieved 83% retention rate across all beneficiaries since 2017.
- Awarded 10 promotions to employee beneficiaries as part of their fair employment and career development within the company.
- Beneficiaries reported improved financial awareness and literacy and increased self-regulation and wellbeing in their testimonies.
How we partner with DBS Foundation
The DBS Foundation Social Enterprise Grant will catalyse our market expansion beyond Singapore and allow us to engage with new under-served beneficiary groups through the development of a new sustainable material for our jewellery line. Our journey with DBS Foundation began long before we received a grant, and we are grateful for the support the Foundation has lent in advocating for our mission to make the world a better place.
Get to know Eden + Elie better!
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