Empowering women to make positive change is Debbie Lupariello’s goal—not only for herself and her new business venture
soHza—but for the women locally and globally who come together to help make the company a success.
Lupariello co-founded soHza and launched the company in April. The concept is to employ global women who create fair trade jewelry, then sell the pieces online with proceeds benefitting
local nonprofits serving women in similar capacities.
“Some of the jewelry is made from melted down bullet casings or weapons—where HIV women in Ethiopia took something that was horrible in their lives and made it something beautiful,” Lupariello says. “So you pick up a necklace and hold it in your hand, it’s made with weapons, and then a percentage of those sales help victims of domestic violence here locally with
Women Helping Women.”
According to Lupariello, the United States is almost “like an island,” but women across the country have so much in common, she says, and bridging the gap is important.
“We’re not like Europe. People aren’t traveling through,” Lupariello says. “It’s hard for us to even relate to people in the next neighborhood.”
But by partnering local women with women across the country, then putting customers at the center of that connection, Lupariello says a bond is created with an incredibly real connection.
“The most amazing thing about it is how strong that bond happens,” Lupariello says. “We believe that when women are at the center of change, anything is possible.”