In 2013, Kym was an accountant on a mine site when she noticed her pregnant manager was forced to wear an unbuttoned hi-vis shirt over a singlet. She realised how the lack of women’s high-visibility workwear was affecting her female coworkers.
“There was nothing on the market, so that was a very distinct gap. From there, we started looking at other women and what workwear they were wearing, and often you’d overhear comments that ‘X were too small, or things were too baggy or things were too loose or too long.’”
From this came She’s Empowered, selling women’s hi-vis workwear in sizes varying between petite and pregnant. She’s Empowered is much more than just creating comfortable workwear for women. Kym believes from fitting work clothes comes comfort, and from comfort comes confidence. This confidence is vital for women, particularly in the male-dominated mining industry in which only 16% of employees in the mining industry are females.
Kym Clarke saw the need for women to have hi-vis workwear in women's sizes. Source: Supplied
“It’s about creating that inclusive culture and making them feel like they belong in an industry where they haven’t always been in big numbers,” Kym says.
“She’s Empowered isn’t just a workwear brand; we’re on a mission to accelerate gender quality.”
In the current age where STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) is unanimously seen as the industry of the future, she thought it was vital for these fields to be more open and encouraging for women. This is why 10% of all She’s Empowered sales go to a #SEwork scholarship fund, which will be split up into various women in STEM programs and scholarships across the country.
When Kym initially started, she had a lot of support and praise from her peers. However, the execution of an idea never goes to plan.
The mines in Central Queensland. Source: Supplied
“I thought I could get it set up in 6 months – I was quite naïve at the beginning, and it actually took 18 months to get set up. That was with factories, manufacturing, stockists...there’s a whole host of issues.”
However, her previous experience on the mines and her business degree helped her through the turmoil of starting a small business.
“I didn’t have a budget, and learning how to budget and forecasting and staying within that, has definitely been a lesson I’ve learned in mining that’s transferred over in She’s Empowered.”
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