It’s officially fall—ignoring the outside temperatures, natch. And these autumnal days mean it’s prime time for a blazer haul. You can hit the racks at Nordstrom’s or J Crew, but North Texas-based women’s blazer company PWR WMN wants folks to check out their fem-forward designs in person.
Founded in 2019 by Kimberly Borges and Miriam McDonald, PWR WMN features a variety of women’s blazers and suit jackets for every occasion, be it a work meeting, a night on the town, or a holiday party.
Last month, the previously online-only brand moved into a new warehouse-storefront hybrid in Carrollton. The new retail space is a dazzling wonderland of pink, complete with gold accents, a rosy love seat, and a glowing pink neon “PWR WMN” sign. The décor is striking, coordinating with the bright and colorful designs the brand puts out. Shoppers can make an appointment online to visit the warehouse, referred to by the company as the “Pink PWR WMN Palace,” where a team member will greet them with several styles and sizes.
“Getting to see these women express themselves and let their personalities shine through by wearing clothing they love makes me really happy,” McDonald says.
Before Borges and McDonald launched their blazer empire four years ago, the business partners and best friends were coworkers at Sewell selling Cadillacs. McDonald still dabbles in car sales there, but Borges left the company after four years in early 2019 and dove right into growing PWR WMN.
“We don’t have a design background at all, but we do have experience as very frustrated, underrepresented consumers,” Borges says. The friends were tired of women’s clothing that was manufactured to look a certain way but weren’t comfortable or utilitarian. “A lot of the clothing we’re sold seems to have in mind how we appear but not really how we feel,” she says. So, they channeled those feelings into their designs.
They wanted to make business-appropriate blazers that were cute, but also versatile and reliable. So, they opted for bright colors and machine washable fabrics. They offer sizes XXS all the way to 3XL. Plus some styles, like the The Birds And The Bees suit jacket, can be used as maternity wear. McDonald and Borges also carry a variety of styles, like your classic blazer, suit jackets, boyfriend cuts, and this ultra-feminine velvet number that ties together.
Their big thing, though? Pockets. Women’s clothing are notoriously sans real pockets—we all know the disappointment of a faux pocket that’s just a seam—that are truly a storage nook. So, the duo added deep front pockets to their designs, as well as interior pockets to the lining, so you keep your valuables closer to you.
Those linings are also special at PWR WMN. To add a fun twist to their designs and to support other creators, McDonald and Borges collaborate with female artists across the country to print their paintings onto the silk blazer linings.
“Our artist collaborations started when we met our first artist at a pop-up,” Borges says. “We walked by and saw her artwork out and loved the idea of combining it with our brand. So, we came up with the idea of printing it on the lining of a blazer.”
That artist was Makenzi Smith, a painter based in Dallas and Oklahoma City. PWR WMN launched the holiday-inspired Kenzi Blazer, a deep green velvet number with a cheerful and bright floral print by Smith on the inside lining, in late 2020.
Since then, Smith has collaborated with the company again on the “I’ll Have What She’s Having” jacket. And PWR WMN has teamed up with even more artists, whose paintings are featured on the brand’s various blazer linings.
Among these artists is Chera Chaney, a local muralist whose works can be seen at some popular Dallas haunts, such as The Shops at Park Lane and Omni PGA Frisco Resort. PWR WMN’s camel-colored “PSL” blazer features the pale blue and green of Chaney’s dreamy hydrangea painting on the inside. Another is Volta Voloshin of ColorSnack, a Dallas-based watercolor illustration and GIF animation company. Voloshin’s summery strawberry watercolor artwork appears on the lining of PWR WMN’s Strawberry Fields blazer.
In addition to the artist-inspired jackets, the brand also offers blazers with simpler linings, pants, kid’s jackets, and more. The versatility is the whole point. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a stay-at-home mother, or a corporate executive, PWR WMN wants all women to feel seen and well-equipped for everyday life.
“We like to say that the blazer doesn’t make you confident,” McDonald says. “You already have confidence in you, and putting something on that makes you feel good is just going to bring that out.”
PWR WMN Warehouse, 2661 Midway Rd. Carrollton. Make an appointment here.
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