#firstdayoffall vibes 🍁🍼 ...

It's #EarnieAwards season!🏆

✨Which brands/retailers do you think exhibited design and retail excellence in 2020? ✨

Nominate your faves in each category by October 1. Submissions will be tallied, and four frontrunners from each category will be announced on a final ballot (Oct. 2).

Swipe up in our story to get started! 🖊 ...

After receiving backlash in June, Kevin Murray, president of @RyleeandCru, shares the company's plan for promoting diversity in the workplace and beyond.⠀
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✨Hard Feelings: “The experience was very eye-opening for all of us. When the backlash appeared in threads across our social channels in June, we spent a few days trying to really grasp what people were saying about our brand and our marketing. Internally, we knew we had been making baby steps in the direction of diversity and inclusion in our photography. We knew the AW20 season was filled with more diverse images than we had ever produced. But these images had not yet been released, so people did not have that reference when looking at our social media and website. Nevertheless, we quickly realized there was so much more that could and should be done.”⠀
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✨Taking Action: “It was on the fourth day where we officially responded with an action plan and a purpose for how we would proceed. This post was the start of creating guidelines for our brand going forward. A few highlights were to be transparent about what charitable causes we donate to, to establish a giving section on our website and to create a diversity advisory board for present and future decisions.”⠀
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✨Seeking Outside Advice: “The advisory board was by far the best thing we did to respond and to learn. Within a week, we assembled six intelligent and passionate Black women who enthusiastically volunteered to be part of this process. Four of the board members are current store owners and wholesale customers of Rylee + Cru, and the other two are online customers who were voices of criticism on social media. We kicked off this board with an hour-and-a-half Zoom meeting. Each member got to share not only their present thoughts about our brand but how they felt watching us over the past few years. All of their comments were filled with grace and encouragement, but they did not hold back on what they perceived as our lack of diversity.”⠀
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Read the full story at #linkinbio. ...

Who’s already shopping #ChildrensClubDigital? 🙋🏻‍♀️ What #kidsbrands have you discovered? Who had the best #SS21 collection? Let us know in the comments!

Still need access? Register to shop via #linkinbio. #sponsored ...

We like this version best. 🍂☺️ #tuesdaymotivation #fallmeme ...

👻 2020 has been scary enough, so let’s focus on having a gourd time this fall. 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃Click the link in our bio for “10 Pumpkin Immediates to Spice Up Your Fall Inventory.” ...

Will you be remembered as a winner in a year no one will forget?

🏆Earnie Award nominations are live! Head over to EarnieAwards.com to nominate brands and retailers that went above and beyond in 2020. #EarnieAwards2020 ...

For many out there, it’s a very special morning! ☀️ Whether you’re still at-home learning or off to school again, we want to see those awesome #firstdayofschool outfits!

Retailers: Tag us in your customers’ photos, and we’ll give them a shout-out on our profile this week. 😊🍎#earnshawsfirstdayofschool ...

Each September, communities around the world “go gold” to raise awareness for childhood cancer. This year, @solvingkidscancer is marking its fourth annual #laceupforkids campaign, donating more than 60,000 gold shoelaces to schools and kids’ organizations internationally.

Show your support by visiting the @solvingkidscancer website to order a pair of free gold laces today! ⚡️ ...

Balance, speed and adaptations at the local level are how retailers will ace Back-to-School 2020. “At the end of the day, it’s about trying to bring as much normalcy to this new school year as possible,” says Rebecca Bustinduy, owner of @shoppeaches in Atlanta. ⠀
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🔍PARENTS: How are you navigating #BTS this year? Are classes on #Zoom? Did you buy the kids new supplies? New clothes? If so, what'd you purchase (and where)? Let's discuss below. 🤓 ...

Eleven-year-old Lucy Blaylock, founder of nonprofit @lucysloveblankets, supports children in need, one blanket at a time. (Full interview at link in bio.) ⠀
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☀️How’s school going? We’re doing hybrid schooling where they split the grade in half. Half go Monday and Tuesday, and the others do Thursday and Friday. Wednesday we all do Zoom.⠀
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☀️What is your at-school fashion style? I’m pretty laidback, so I’m always in leggings or high-waisted, ripped jeans. We live in the south, so a lot of the girls dress very girly, but I’ve always liked stuff that’s more edgy. My favorite shirts are the kind with the knots in front.⠀
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☀️What color do you wear most? Mustard and olive green.⠀
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☀️Do you accessorize often? Yes. I wear earrings, necklaces and layered bracelets. I also like thick headbands.⠀
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☀️What about shoes? I like the classics—@Vans, @Converse and @Adidas.⠀
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☀️What trends are you noiticng among your friends? Birkenstocks are still big, which I also love. Paperbag-waisted pants are popular. I also still see tennis shoes with dresses a lot.⠀
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☀️Have you done any shopping since Covid-19 hit? I do all of my shopping online now. We usually go to Old Navy, but this year we got fancy and did some shopping at Justice and H&M. We basically looked for where we could find back-to-school sales.⠀
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☀️Any advice for kids looking to volunteer? Definitely go for it. It’s feels so good to spend time helping kids who need it. You’re going to make friends and feel good about what you do every day.⠀

☀️How can people support Lucy’s Blankets? Donations are a huge help to cover shipping costs and supplies. To donate, visit @LucysLoveBlankets on Instagram and click the Venmo link in the description. Thanks! ...

5 Questions with Shanlee Johnson, owner of @littlebirdiesboutique
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✨What are you focusing on for next spring? I’ve changed my buy almost completely. In the past, we’ve done a lot more formal, dressy pieces. For Spring ’21, I cut formal wear back significantly and swapped it for everyday pieces. Play clothes, pajamas and baby gifts—that’s where it’s at. Plus lots of accessories. Just like you’re seeing in women’s fashion, we’re focusing on knot headbands, pearl barrettes and tortoiseshell clips.⠀
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✨Are toys and games still flying off the shelves? Definitely. We’re selling more home activities than ever before, such as puzzles and DIY necklaces from Gunner & Lux. Sunnylife has also been a great resource, offering fishing games and cool pool floats. Baby is another category that’s going strong. Babies are still being born, so we’re doing lots of gift-wrapped bundles. Showers will continue to happen—even if they’re virtual.⠀
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✨Are you hesitant to bring in new brands, especially ones you can’t shop in-person? Not as much as you might think. I always go back to the brands I have good relationships with, but I love finding new, small brands to mix in. I’m a small business myself, so I like supporting someone else working hard and putting themselves out there. I find a lot of those smaller brands on Faire. I’m obsessed with that site!⠀
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✨How has your private label collection been impacted by the pandemic? It’s been challenging. We manufacture in Peru, and they’re working with a very small staff and are barely able to get it all done. We had to chop our order in half. At this point, we’re just taking things day by day.⠀
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✨What are you doing to make sure Little Birdies stands out from its competition? Being closed for so long, I really had the opportunity to change things up. I began by focusing more on our online business, which means adding more customizable options to our site. We will be offering custom intarsia sweaters as well as engraving options for spoons, cups, hairbrushes, rattles, the list goes on. Customers are now also able to monogram anything from our site. ...

Way to pivot, @bowfishkids! Starting in September, this awesome NJ retailer is turning its studio into a remote learning space! Available for grades 6+, the space includes high-speed wifi, sanitized desks, sanitized bathrooms and mask-free pod zones for pod remote learning. Two options are available for customers to reserve: ⠀
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OPTION 1: FLEXIBLE KID CO-WORKING⁠⠀
$15/student per 4 hour time block. Private desk with max of 3 students in space. ⠀
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OPTION 2: POD REMOTE LEARNING⁠⠀
$195 per month for up to 5 students ($40 each additional student). Private dedicated space for max of 10 students. Reserved day of the week, for 4 hour time block.⠀
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For more information, visit www.BowfishStudios.com/Remote⁠. ...