Podcast Summary: B2B Breakthrough Podcast – "Limitless Looks, Less Waste: Holly Girard on Building a Purpose-Driven Fashion Brand"
Episode Date: November 4, 2025
Host: Ciara Christo (Alibaba.com)
Guest: Holly Girard, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Funday
Episode Overview
This episode features Holly Girard, founder of Funday—a purpose-driven, eco-chic footwear brand known for its modular shoe system and commitment to sustainability, style, and social impact. The conversation explores how Holly built Funday around clear brand pillars, the challenges and breakthroughs in sourcing sustainable materials, and her mission to empower women and uplift communities—while redefining what it means for fashion products to be truly sustainable and stylish.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Brand Foundation and Vision
- Holly laid out Funday’s mission and vision via strategic pillars: Preservation, Purpose, Personalization, Playfulness, Positivity, and Places.
- Every decision, including hiring and partnerships, is rooted in these pillars, ensuring everyone involved understands Funday’s core values.
“When building the brand, I really sat down and mapped out the vision, the mission, and put it into different pillars. My north stars, if you will, but the foundation, so that every decision will be made upon these.”
— Holly Girard [00:00]
2. Identifying the Gap in Sustainable Fashion
- Holly’s inspiration stemmed from her shoe-loving childhood and a desire for versatility and sustainability in fashion.
- She noticed existing “sustainable” footwear was mostly boring, utilitarian, or beige—lacking style and color.
- Her modular shoe concept allows vibrant, personalized, and sustainable choices.
“There’s nobody doing full color stylish sustainability. And so I’m on a mission to showcase that you really can be stylish and colorful and sustainable at the same time.”
— Holly Girard [03:30]
3. Redefining Sustainability: Multipurpose & Materials
- Funday’s patented modular system enables consumers to buy one pair but restyle it many ways, reducing the need for multiple shoes and promoting conscious consumption.
- Mix-and-match "toppings" (bows and accessories) offer limitless looks for urban dwellers, travelers, and anyone with limited space.
“You can invest in one shoe, and then it has limitless looks...You’re changing the magnet, you’re mixing the accessories. And so with that investment, you’re buying less and getting more so you can keep up with fashion and trends without supporting fast fashion.”
— Holly Girard [08:06]
4. Sourcing Sustainable and Innovative Materials
- Holly researched plant-based and recycled materials extensively: Funday uses corn, wine and grape skins, cork, and recycled automotive parts for the shoe soles.
- She contrasts Funday’s approach with “vegan” leathers that are often petroleum-based and greenwashed.
- Funday's shoes are currently up to 98% eco-friendly, with linings of 75% corn and water-based adhesives.
“So there are so many brands out there that are claiming to be vegan and while they’re not an animal product… they’re actually petroleum based… my hope is that people start to read the ingredients.”
— Holly Girard [12:51]
5. Transparency & Consumer Education
- Holly draws parallels to the food and beauty industry’s ingredient transparency and predicts the same for fashion.
- While European markets are progressing faster with labeling and sustainability standards, she champions full disclosure for customers.
“It is a really good point… so I do think the responsibility and the onus is on the brands for us to inspire that curiosity and that education and transparency.”
— Holly Girard [14:09]
6. Navigating Greenwashing
- It's difficult for consumers to decipher real sustainability amidst greenwashing without comprehensive regulations.
- She recommends looking for founder stories, platform transparency, and using apps like “Good On You” to verify brands.
“The truth is, it’s really, really hard because there aren’t standards, there isn’t a regulation, so anyone can say anything.”
— Holly Girard [16:20]
7. Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Small-Batch Production
- Holly personally sourced materials before partnering with Italian factories—breaking tradition in an industry used to conventional leathers and mass production.
- She started with small factories, iterating on prototypes, and slowly gained acceptance for her unconventional, sustainable model.
“I sourced absolutely everything. And so I know what it is and why, and there’s a purpose and an intent for sustainable intention for every single piece.”
— Holly Girard [25:55]
8. Purpose Beyond Products – Giving Back
- Funday’s mission includes supporting women: a percentage of every purchase goes to organizations helping victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.
- Holly’s personal journey as a single mother shaped her desire to uplift women and "help them get back on their feet."
“So every purchase that a consumer makes, I give a percentage back to charities that are doing the good work for healing victims of domestic violence or human trafficking… It’s really helping women get back on their feet.”
— Holly Girard [28:58]
9. Community, Team, and Entrepreneurial Resilience
- Holly is a solopreneur who leverages freelance and gig talent to sustain her business.
- She credits support networks (Entrepreneista, female-focused business groups) for her success and resilience.
“I’m a solopreneur, like legit. It’s hard, not gonna lie. And that’s why wonderful vendors like yourselves and Entrepreneista group and I’m in a handful of female network groups.”
— Holly Girard [37:54]
10. Future Growth – Retail, Wholesale, and Impact
- Currently operating D2C and through selected retailers (NYC & Paris), Holly aims to expand wholesale, trunk shows, and in-person experiences—where the “wow” factor can be fully appreciated.
- She’s eager to grow both the product line and Funday’s impact, including further charitable partnerships and celebrating women.
“My growth, I anticipate—I’m in some conversations with some wholesalers, praying, hoping that I get into some good channel shops.”
— Holly Girard [41:20]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
“There’s a look, there’s a stigma to it, and there shouldn’t be...the products and the brands need to make it that accessible for all of us so that we’re not locked into a bucket.”
— Holly Girard [05:14] -
“It was a matter of, okay, I’d love to save the planet...but it’s probably going to be in a red stiletto, as it should be. I love that. That’s my superhero cape—it’s a bunch of red stilettos and incredible hot pink, every color.”
— Holly Girard [05:51] -
“When I contacted [Italian factories] the first time, they were not willing to work with me. Cause I had zero experience...So it took many, many years of give and take...but what it did allow me to do was get an actual prototype.”
— Holly Girard [21:56] -
“I have poured my heart and soul and soles into this and I hope that people feel that. I hope that people know that and I hope that that authenticity remains.”
— Holly Girard [32:16] -
“If you believe you can do it, you can just… take steps every day to get there. And so that’s what I’ve been doing, pouring my heart and soul into it. Build, build, build. And I know something good will come.”
— Holly Girard [41:37]
Key Timestamps
- Brand Pillars & Foundation: [00:00], [28:35]
- Identifying Sustainable Gap in Fashion: [02:01], [03:30]
- Modular Shoe Concept & Versatility: [07:07], [08:06]
- Sustainable Materials & Transparency: [10:34], [12:51], [14:09]
- Greenwashing & Consumer Guidance: [16:20]
- Supply Chain & Manufacturing Experience: [19:27], [21:56], [25:55]
- Purpose-Driven Donations & Women Upliftment: [28:58], [32:16]
- Personal Journey & Entrepreneurial Insights: [37:54], [41:37]
- Growth Plans & Future Outlook: [41:20]
Further Information
- Website: funday.com (use code
breakthrough20for a discount—also supports Funday's giving initiatives) [39:05] - Socials: @fundaysoels on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok [42:19]
This episode is a comprehensive roadmap for building a purpose-driven brand with heart, sustainability, and innovation—demonstrated through Holly Girard’s story, vision, and candid advice to fellow founders. Her blend of optimism, realism, and action-oriented solutions is a standout for any aspiring entrepreneur.