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Pioneers & Protagonists

Ella T. Gorgla, Founder of I-ELLA

I-ELLA aims to …
create a fun and comprehensive on-line retail shopping experience with items straight from your closet while impacting the world in which we live. We do this by allowing members to Buy, Sell, Borrow + Swap fashion and more, while giving back to various social causes.

The easiest way to explain it is …
the fashion insider’s shopping bazaar.

The idea came from…
a personal interest in fashion, giving and a desire to give women greater ownership of on-line retail. Rather than allowing one entity to benefit while the other gives, we created a platform for sharing and exchange.

I believe it’s the right moment for I-ELLA to take off …
because this is the moment of sharing. Our motto is “Share Your Closet”. Consumers are more conscious of reducing waste and thus I-ELLA is viewed as a place for ‘Recycled Luxury’ while enabling members to give back.

The biggest misperception about I-ELLA is …
that we are a non-profit.

The biggest challenge to overcome is …
removing the stigma of pre-owned clothing. We like to call it ‘pre-loved’.

The best moment so far was …
the first time someone signed up and began listing pieces from their closet and then started selling them one by one. It was a great feeling. Validation.

The reason I love Collaborative Consumption is …
the sense of community and love it creates.

In the future for I-ELLA …
people will be committed to wear at least one thing that was borrowed, swapped or bought pre-owned. My hope is that I-ELLA will help to make this a way of life. Recycled luxury!

Archive of Pioneers & Protagonists Interviews

  10 Questions for Benita Matofska, founder of The People Who Share

  10 questions for Marta Nowinska, founder of Swapsity

  10 questions for Ryan Rzepecki, founder of SocialBicycles

  10 questions for Jamie Wong, founder of Vayable

  10 questions for Theo Kitchener, founder of The ShareHood

  10 questions for Kelly Scales, founder of Bid & Borrow

  10 questions for Campbell McKellar, Founder of Loosecubes

  10 questions for Marcio Nigro, founder of Caronetas

  10 questions for Jess Ratcliffe, founder of GaBoom

  10 questions for Philipp Rogge, founder of frents

  10 questions for Tim Hyer, founder of Rentcycle

  10 questions for Barbara Pantuso, founder of Hey, Neighbor!

  Ella T. Gorgla, Founder of I-ELLA

  Cathy Tao, co-founder of Tourboarding

  Mike Karnjanaprakorn, cofounder of Skillshare

  Juha Koponen, Founder of Netcycler

  Michelle Shearer, Founder of MamaBake

  Leah Busque, Founder and CEO of TaskRabbit

  Ron J. Williams, founder of SnapGoods

  Stephen Rapoport, founder of Crashpadder

  Anthony Eskinazi, founder of ParkatmyHouse

  Drummond Gilbert, founder of goCarShare

  David Mahfouda, Founder of Weeels

  Andreas Randow, Founder of StudioShare.org

  Emma Jamvold, Founder of SwapItBaby

  Dave Llorens, CEO of One Block Off The Grid

  Orli Cotel, co-founder of Swap for Good

  Owen Rees-Hayward, Co-founder of Thingloop

  Juliette Anich, Co-founder of The Clothing Exchange

  Keara Schwartz, Founder of Share Some Sugar

  Hans Schoenburg, co-founder of GiftFlow

  Meriel Lenfestey, Co-founder of Ecomodo

  Steve Sammartino, Founder of rentoid.com

  Micki Krimmel, Founder of NeighborGoods

  Shelby Clark, Founder of RelayRides

  James Reinhart, Founder of thredUp

For a complete archive of Pioneers & Protagonists Interviews click HERE.