Photographs courtesy In2Green.
“A very interesting ramp-up” was how Jehann Biggs described her first foray into the world of textiles, having “only” previously had experience with consumer goods, including marketing and go-to-market launches, with various Fortune 500 companies.
A Westchester County native, Biggs is the owner of In2Green, https://www.in2green.com, a sustainable blanket company she fell in love with and then bought in 2018 from founding owners Lori Slater and Stefanie Zeldin, when they were on the brink of retirement, and she, Biggs, had hit a crossroads on the corporate track.
The company, it should be noted, had a legacy of pioneering sustainable living with luxurious, design-forward throw blankets and accessories, all crafted from recycled materials. Put another way, this was a concept of “eco-luxury, a blend of modern aesthetics with quality, eco-friendly materials.”
Through small-batch production in the United States, In2Green “fosters uniqueness,” as Biggs put it, in every piece. Blankets and throws are designed and manufactured in the Northeast and the brand sells both to trade and direct to consumers online, as well as through its carefully curated store in Hastings-on-Hudson. The store also brings together its signature eco-luxury home goods with top-tier brand partners for seasonally relevant curated pop-ups and events.
Asked about some of the challenges facing an artisanal business, especially in holding its own against big-name retailers, Biggs specifically mentioned price and cost pressures. “We constantly have to be on top of our material sourcing,” she said, “and keep abreast of design trends, while not comprising our sustainability mission.”
Sustainability is key and the operation is a fascinating one. In2 Green’s recycled cotton clothing line is made from T-shirt fabric that is fiberized once again and spun into soft cotton-blend yarn. Requiring no additional cottons or chemicals, this process helps reduce landfill use. In another pioneering procedure, the indoor/outdoor line is made from 100% polyester, with 78 plastic bottles (post-consumer use) going into a single throw.
Biggs said she was proud to be a “woman-founded” and still “woman-owned” business and, for its part, the Westfair Business Journal was keen to delve a little deeper on that score. Since women-owned businesses are hardly a rarity, we asked Biggs about the need to assert those patently genuine claims. Her illuminating reply was that some people are still amazed to hear that she ran her own business, and that she would keep promoting it as a “woman-run” business until her answer no longer occasioned surprise.
“I think that is just the nature of where we are in the U.S.,” she said. “Social pressures of what a woman should be are still deep-seated. So I wear the badge proudly.”
Looking at In2Green’s direct-to-consumer customer profile, Biggs said it was quite specific, with customers generally defining themselves as “part of a tribe.”
“It’s a particular aesthetic,” she added, “modern, equestrian, coastal, Southwestern, patriotic,” –with customers seeking out designs that reinforced that sense of belonging.
“To all our customers, we are not just selling a blanket statement. We are selling ‘statement blankets.’”
