Fair Trade Beauty from Colombia
A Colombian-American Vision (2014)
Naja was founded in 2014 by Catalina Girald, a Colombian-American entrepreneur based in San Francisco who saw an opportunity to create lingerie that was beautiful, sustainable, and socially impactful. The brand's name comes from a genus of cobras — Girald chose it to represent transformation, shedding the old skin of an exploitative fashion industry.
Girald's Colombian heritage informed the brand's most distinctive feature: its manufacturing was based in Medellin, Colombia, where Naja employed single mothers and women who were heads of household. This wasn't a charity initiative bolted onto a business model — it was the business model itself.
Social Enterprise at Scale
Naja's Colombian factory provided not just employment but comprehensive support: fair wages significantly above the local minimum, healthcare benefits, educational opportunities, and flexible scheduling designed around the realities of single parenthood. Workers were trained in specialized sewing techniques that gave them marketable skills beyond Naja.
The brand tracked and published its social impact metrics alongside its financial results, treating community development as a core business objective rather than a marketing story.
Inclusive Shade Range
Naja was among the first lingerie brands to offer an extensive range of nude shades designed for different skin tones. The brand's "Nude for All" collection provided seven distinct nude options, from porcelain to espresso, ensuring that women of all complexions could find underwear that truly matched their skin.
Sustainable Construction
Beyond its social mission, Naja committed to environmental sustainability through recycled materials, low-impact dyes, and packaging made from recycled paper. The brand's approach demonstrated that social and environmental responsibility could coexist within a commercially viable lingerie brand.