Summary
SEP is a Jordanian social enterprise sourcing and producing high quality fashion and lifestyle accessories hand-embroidered by refugees in the Jerash and Azraq camps. Established in 2014 by Roberta Ventura, and working in partnership with the UNHCR, SEP is transforming the lives of over 500 Palestinian and Syrian refugee artisans living in Jordan. The SEP artists benefit from above-market rates and performance-related bonuses while producing fashion items of superior quality. The artists are at the core of SEP’s business model, providing creative input on all the company’s designs and products.
Investment thesis
Currently SEP’s products are sold throughout the Middle East and Europe, including at retailers such as Harrods and Boutique1. The brand SEP Jordan is defying stereotypes about refugees. The bigger the volumes, the more artists will benefit, financially and emotionally: SEP is building out its distribution network and brand visibility, as a means to bring positive change to the community.
Potential refugee impact
To date, SEP has worked with over 500 refugees in Jordan providing above market compensation to create luxury goods which reinterpret traditional designs and products into contemporary styles. SEP has reinvested their profits to provide wraparound services at the Jerash Refugee Camp in Jordan including training for parents, after-school programs for children, and a publicly accessible library.
Management
Roberta Ventura – Founder & CEO
Stefano D’Ambrosio – CFO
Structure
SEP is a social enterprise incorporated in Jordan and Switzerland, led by Roberta Ventura and Stefano D’Ambrosio in Geneva, with a management team of 4 in Amman and Jerash. All team-members but the two founders are second or third generation refugees.