What can a Dubai fashion startup teach you about social entrepreneurship?

“There’s a story behind the clothes we wear. Do you know what the story is about? More often than not, it’s about modern day slavery, child labor, and destructive environmental practices,” declares Shahd AlShehail. The Saudi-born entrepreneur continues: “Did you know that there are an estimated 200 million people around the globe who are directly employed by the textile and apparel industry? These people often live on a fraction of a living wage and work under terrible conditions that result in catastrophes like Rana Plaza.”

It was this public tragedy that prompted AlShehail — who was in the midst of her Acumen Fellowship in Bangalore, India at the time — and her friend Natalie Grillon (below right), also an Acumen Fellow in Uganda, to give serious thought to the injustices and exploitation in the fashion industry. “I felt there must be a better way, an ethical way,” affirmed AlShehail.

Determined to make a difference, the two women cofounded JUST, a social enterprise that aims to enable a transparent and “values-driven, not value-driven” fashion supply chain by connecting designers and manufacturers to ethical, sustainable suppliers. JUST leverages technology to promote transparency within the fashion supply chain by authenticating suppliers based on their ethical and sustainability standards and presenting them on an easy to use online platform for designers and manufacturers.

AlShehail, who serves as CEO, explained: “Not only does the JUST platform reduce a designer’s procurement costs and build confidence in their sourcing, but also allows ethical suppliers, who are often small and not tech-savvy, access to bigger markets.”