MISSION
Fresh to Def Collective is a woman of color (WOC) entrepreneurship lifestyle brand focused on building economic equity through wearable art and social justice entrepreneurship.
VISION
Our vision is to build a global solidarity economy rooted in equity where every woman of color thrives on her own economic terms. We are building a movement of self-employed outspoken social change makers who are ending a culture of silence and growing a culture of community.
Hope Henson-Lehman
CEO & SOCIAL JUSTICE BUSINESS COACH
Renaissance woman, healer, artist, and activist. I am a social justice entrepreneur with 11 years experience in non-profit economic, small business, and tech education development. My passion is grounded in systems change work. I am committed to creating a world grounded in equity through entrepreneurship, technology, and art. I am an expert in community development, teaching, and facilitation. I love spreadsheets and project plans :) I started Fresh to Def in January 2014 while working full time for a youth employment program in San Francisco. Struggling with mental health, I was looking for a space where I could make a living being my authentic radical black feminist self. I found this freedom within entrepreneurship, initially as a jewelry maker. Returning to my first love of teaching, I quickly fell into helping other women grow their side hustles into businesses that gave them more economic freedom to take care of themselves.
My drive to do this work stems from my childhood growing up with an entrepreneurial single Black mom who struggled with growing her music, writing, and website design hustle into sustainable businesses. I observed my mom struggle and other women in my life make tough often devastating choices out of economic desperation. These experiences always stuck with me as I navigated my own path through college, full-time work, contract work, and mental health challenges. I realized my struggle was intergenerational. After a while, enough was enough. I decided to bet on myself and tap into that legacy of entrepreneurial spirit that had been there all along.
Since 2014, I have generated over $160,000 in revenue through Fresh to Def Collective and even started a second business entitled Just BE that has generated over $100,000 in collective sales for Black Women creative entrepreneurs. I have coached over 150 entrepreneurs in the California, Bay Area with 80 of those being women of color. I am an Oakland Emerging 100 entrepreneur who's work is honored by Essence, Shondaland, and Public Allies - rewarding me the opportunity to meet former First Lady, Michelle Obama in December 2018. I am most proud of my accomplishments building team and financially supporting other women of color ages 18 - 30 locally as independent contractors, interns, and co-owners for both businesses. My goal and dream is to build a co-operatively owned work and art space for women of color entrepreneurs where we can heal, laugh, support, and thrive together for generations to come.
Our accessories are handcrafted from cherry, maple and walnut wood. We combine wood with West African Ghanian Kente cloth and acrylic paint to bring out the beauty and richness of each material. We design, laser cut, and assemble all our pieces in Oakland, California. Our designs are rooted in feminist, African / Black patterns, hip-hop culture, and social justice themes. We use hypoallergenic stainless steel or sterling silver posts, hooks, or wire on all earrings. Our accessory line of handmade African fabric laser cut wood earrings, pins, and coasters offer customers tiny acts of resistance they can add to their everyday look; rooting them in their culture and values.
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