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Meet the 27-year-old entrepreneur who wants to take on the fashion industry and build an ethical clothing business

Sarah JacobsJun 23, 2016, 00:53 IST

Sarah Jacobs

It's no secret that fashion brands often cut corners when it comes to the safety of the garment workers they employ. Working conditions in garment factories are often unsafe, and wages are extremely low. When in 2013 Rana Plaza, a garment factory in Bangladesh, collapsed and killed over 1,000 workers, consumers became more aware of some of the negative influence that popular brands like H&M and Zara exert on the areas where their clothes are manufactured.

27-year-old entrepreneur E.A. Lepine couldn't ignore these facts. Her women's clothing startup, Arrowroot, is run a little differently - it produces high-quality dresses that are made ethically by hand by workers in Central America. To fulfill orders, Arrowroot partnered with Mi Esperanza, a nonprofit organization, based in Honduras, that educates and employs women in the surrounding areas.

We stopped be Lepine's Denver, Colorado, studio to hear the story of how she's built her business.