Caught my Attention Ed. 08: Seed Top 40, France's regulation on Fast Fashion, The Fashion Act + Moms

This week I was named to BI’s Top 40 Seed Investors list, a huge honor so early along in my investment career. I am not sure who nominated me and I did not know the editors in advance, so it also felt nice that the nod was somehow in the ether, not granted based on some prior relationship.

It is amazing to get the notoriety, no doubt, but now four years in to investing, I have not yet produced enough DPI to really cement my title. And, for as much as these lists are encouraging, what I found even more rewarding - and frankly, real - was the outpouring of support from my existing founders. They have their pick of investors, and work alongside many besides me, and so their vote matters more to me than any list ever could.

I screenshot a text I received from a particliar founder because this encapsulates truly what it’s about:

This week, these other topics also caught my attention:

• France approved a Kill Bill (my fave Tarantino movie) that would penalize fast fashion retailers like Shein and Temu, who largely use under-waged workers to create price arbitrage on items. The bill would restrict the advertising of those companies in France and also impose a fee of up to 10 euros per garment by 2030. The EU continues to lead the world in consumer protections and sustainability. Though, as I continue to hypothesize, these moves are as economically motivated as they are socially - China exports 65% of the world’s apparel and fashion makes up 3% of France’s GDP, more than the automotive and aeronautical industries combined. LINK.

• A long-time friend, Maxine Bedat, introduced The Fashion Act in New York in 2022 and it has gained momentum since. Similarly, in the US, it would require brands doing over $100M to disclose their supply chain and agree to impact reduction targets, with the aim of curbing environmental and social damage caused by the fashion industry. LINK.

• I am interviewing Maxine for Forbes, and wanted to know what questions you have for her! Please enter into the comments below and I would love to incorporate some.

Lastly, Happy Mother’s Day. Emily Oster (great, no BS doctor/writer who was recommended to me when I became pregnant) posted this and I found it comforting to all the ways we talk about moms today which are far more complicated than a Hallmark card could ever encapsulate.