Najla: Beautiful, Organic Lingerie Inspired by NYC’s History
Najla was a woman—and a store, which was named after her in NYC’s Lower East Side. Najla, a Lebanese immigrant, founded her store in 1920:
For more than sixty years, Najla, later joined by her niece, Selma, offered high-quality innerwear and outerwear to women in New York City and across the United States under the Najla label. Najla and Selma started out by designing custom undergarments for women from fine, locally manufactured silks. Their process was thoughtful and precise, and the pieces they produced were meant to stay with their customers for years.
Now, her great-niece, Emma Bowen, is reimagining and rebooting the label, using local production, ethical materials (100% cotton jersey), and championing sustainability and transparency in her business.
Our goal is to revive the Najla label while remaining true to the early years of the family-run business. We will be an online purveyor of lingerie that combines classic, elegant silhouettes and luxurious materials with expert artisanship, just as Najla and Selma did. Each Najla undergarment will be made with careful attention to detail in New York City.
Check out the Najla Kickstarter here (video below!).
Starre Vartan
Starre Vartan is founder and editor-in-chief of Eco-Chick.com and the author of the Eco-Chick Guide to Life. She's also a freelance science and environment writer who has published in National Geographic, CNN, Scientific American, Mental Floss, Pacific Standard, the NRDC, and many more. She lives on an island in Puget Sound with her partner and black cat. She was a geologist in her first career, and still picks up rocks wherever she goes.
