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A New Chapter

Over the last 10 years, Darling has been a powerful brand that has shifted cultural mindsets on beauty and self-esteem, notably being the first magazine to not photoshop women’s skin or bodies.

We are now moving into the fashion industry with a Darling clothing line and community that carries a positive “Darling” message.

This Essentials Line, along with monthly drops and beautiful home goods, will be sold on our website direct-to-consumer, but also uniquely through a select group of 500 Ambassadors.

If you’re seeking being a part of a meaningful community with a common mission, you’ve come to the right place.

What is the Darling Society?

The Darling Society is our community of Ambassadors that are eager to be catalysts for positive change, helping women realize their unique beauty and worth.

As official representatives of our brand, Ambassadors sell our clothing and home goods and make great commissions off of what they sell through a non-multilevel marketing structure.

Ambassadors receive specific Darling body image training and are part of an exclusive and supportive online community of women all over the U.S. They also receive 25% off all Darling products.

The Darling Society will be donating 5% of every direct-to-consumer transaction to specific charities. We hope you’ll join us in changing the conversation around fashion and community.

Who is a Darling Ambassador?

1.

A face of the Darling brand who carries the core elements of the Darling Mission to her community, helping women to love their bodies and feel more valued for all that they are.

A sales representative of the Darling Essentials Line, Drops and Home Goods who earns commission based solely off her own sales.

2.

3.

A community builder in her city through gathering and connecting women around the Darling Mission, meaningful conversation, fashion and home goods.

Apply to be an ambassador

The Darling Essentials Line

Essentials and Drops

Twice a year, the “Essentials” come out as the perfect 20 item wardrobe. These are the key, daily go-to pieces in every woman’s closet—the foundation and canvas for which you add color, texture, trend or luxury pieces. Made with high-quality fabrics, essentials are the indispensable pieces that women replace over and over.

The “Drops” are three items a month that are more trend driven, created from a unique fabric, based off a creative theme, or as a collaboration with a “Darling” kind of influencer. Drops are limited edition and create scarcity demand. These are the pieces that can accent the Essentials, building out a wardrobe with statement pieces.

How it Works

1.

Complete Application

Fill out our simple application form and tell us about all you and why you’re passionate about this opportunity.

Get Accepted

We review applications carefully and are excited about the potential to work with you to further our positive Darling Mission and message for women.

2.

3.

Submit Deposit

Once you’re accepted, you’ll receive an agreement to review and agree to. Next, you will submit your deposit and voilà—you’re officially IN!

*As one of the first 500 Ambassadors, you will receive a limited-edition Darling Society tote bag and $250 Darling Dollars to use toward your Essentials Line, Drops or Home Goods.

Join the Darling Society Community Platform

Create a profile and start meeting like-minded fellow Ambassadors and look forward to meaningful discussions, thorough training and fun community forums.

4.

Apply Here

What’s the Investment and Why?

We are seeking to create true change in the retail and shopping experience for women, trading the typically lonely and transactional for a relational and uplifting experience. We aren’t interested in one-off posts without a relationship to our brand and ethos; we are building a sophisticated opportunity for women to organically wear and support a line that is making a positive difference in women’s lives.

We require our Ambassadors to invest in the Essentials line because we believe in showing the entire collection as a capsule that all styles well together. We also believe in the power of showing fabric and fit in an inclusive way to women of all sizes and shapes (whether in person, or on a digital platform). The good news is you can also sell your samples at the end of the season and recoup your investment. However, we think you’ll probably want to keep them!

Commission Structure

Darling is not structured as a multi-level marketing (MLM) business; Ambassadors only receive commission based off their own sales. However, we do believe in the power of community in doing “good business,” so we have a strong referral program through which we seek to grow our Ambassador community through personal relationship. We ask women to be thoughtful about who they introduce to this opportunity, as we are seeking to have the message of Darling be shared with intentionality.

Bonuses and Perks

If you refer a friend to be a Darling Ambassador, you receive $250 in Darling Dollars and your friend also receives $250 in Darling Dollars—it’s a win-win! Darling Dollars can be used for anything on the Darling store (think of them like store credit), but you can also use them toward one of your payments toward your Essentials Line!

*To receive, referrals must sign the contract and put down deposit.

Sizing and Prices

Our sizing for our first collection comes in XS – XXL. As a brand who has valued highlighting the beauty of diverse shapes and sizes over the last 10 years, we are working toward thinking through many body types in our design process. For example, nothing is extremely tight or fitted; we have put elastic in many of the waistbands and are working with ties, string cinches and other elements that can make the collection the most versatile. We know we aren’t perfect and won’t nail it every time, but we are hoping for your feedback (and grace) as we grow and learn who our audience is and what they desire.

This is not a fast fashion clothing line, so the prices for the Essentials Collection and Drops start at $60 and go up to around $200, with some of our Drops or fully sustainable items being a bit higher than $200 in price. We stand by the fact that ethically made clothing costs more, because it is made well, and its creators are taken care of.

Is There a Charity Element?

YES! Darling is able to donate 5% to the Darling Foundation of every single direct-to-consumer sale. We strongly believe in giving back to causes that support women in three areas: business, mental health and sex trafficking victims. We are committed to telling the stories of those we support on our platform.

Community Element

The Darling Society is a group of insider, like-minded women who encourage and share their lives with one another. We have created an online platform for communication and connection along with future intentional Ambassador-only events by region. As a part of this community, you will be uplifted and supported by one another as you share the Darling Mission.

Our Product Philosophy

Sustainability and Transparency

We don’t identify as a 100% sustainable brand that hits all 200+ sustainability points. The unfortunate truth is that many brands claim this but are not living up to it on the back end. We are a brand who truly cares about integrity; we see ethical production as a moral obligation, so every decision counts. Our commitment is to work toward becoming more and more sustainable, while being 100% transparent on our production. Our first collection is 47% sustainable, which is a huge milestone for us right out of the gate. We’re committed to making better choices every day, minimizing our social and environmental impact across the entire business.

Ok, I’m in!

We have only 400 spots available for our 2023 launch, so we hope you’ll join us soon! We are excited to join you in creating true change in the retail and shopping experience for women, trading a typically lonely and transactional moment for a relational and uplifting experience.

Apply Here

FAQ’s

Q: How many seasons are there in one year?

A: Our Essentials Collection includes 20-22 pieces and comes out twice a year, in February and September. We also have three items that come out monthly called our “drops” that accent and build upon the Essentials. Our first season will be 4 months due to it being our launch.

Q: What is the pricing of the clothing?

A: This is not a fast fashion clothing line, so the prices start at $60 and go up to around $200, with some of our drops or fully sustainable items being a bit higher than $200 in price. We stand by the fact that ethically made clothing costs more, because it is made well, and its creators are taken care of.

Q: Where is the product made?

A: Our product is made overseas, overseen by a woman named Shirley and her son, James, with whom we have a long-term history with. Shirley has been in production for over 30 years and is passionate about making those who create garments feel valued and seen. James is an expert in sustainability and is helping us navigate toward better and better fabric choices as we build our brand. Shirley closely monitors the working conditions and values transparency in all steps of production. For example, as our prototype samples have been coming in the last few months, we have been able to send direct encouragement and affirmation to the team sewing the items through Shirley. As we launch, you will see full transparency on our entire production pipeline.

Q: Is Darling “sustainable”?

A: We don’t identify as a 100% sustainable brand that hits all 200+ sustainability points. The unfortunate truth is that many brands claim this but are not living up to it on the back end. We are a brand who truly cares about integrity; we see ethical production as a moral obligation, so every decision counts. Our commitment is to work toward becoming more and more sustainable, while being 100% transparent on our production. Our first collection is 47% sustainable, which is a huge milestone for us right out of the gate. We’re committed to making better choices every day, minimizing our social and environmental impact across the entire business.

Q: What is Darling’s philosophy on sizing inclusivity?

A: Our sizing for our first collection comes in XS – XXL. As a brand who has valued highlighting the beauty of diverse shapes and sizes over the last 10 years, we are working toward thinking through many body types in our design process. For example, nothing is extremely tight or fitted; we have put elastic in many of the waistbands and are working with ties, string cinches and other elements that can make the collection the most versatile. We know we aren’t perfect and won’t nail it every time, but we are hoping for your feedback (and grace) as we grow and learn who our audience is and what they desire.

Q: Why is there an investment for Ambassadors?

A: We are seeking to create true change in the retail and shopping experience for women, trading the typically lonely and transactional for a relational and uplifting experience. We aren’t interested in one-off posts without a relationship to our brand and ethos; we are building a sophisticated opportunity for women to organically wear and support a line that is making a positive difference in women’s lives.

We require our Ambassadors to invest in the Essentials line because we believe in showing the entire collection as a capsule that all styles well together. We also believe in the power of showing fabric and fit in an inclusive way to women of all sizes and shapes (whether in person, or on a digital platform). The good news is you can also sell your samples at the end of the season and recoup your investment. However, we think you’ll probably want to keep them! 😉

Q: When is it required to be paid, and do you have a payment plan?

A. Our sample line is worth over $3,000; Ambassadors receive it for only $1,000, which is an incredible deal on an entire capsule collection. You are required to put down a $250 deposit to secure your spot (remember there are only 500 spots for our launch), then there is a three-part payment plan for your remaining balance that is collected 30 days apart. Remember though, our referral program gets you and your friend $250 Darling Dollars each which can be used as credit toward your seasonal sample lines. If you refer a few people, your line can be free.

Q: If I become an Ambassador and purchase the Essentials Collection, what sizes do they come in?

A: We realize that many women are going to want to try on the clothing and make outfits in order to show the collection well, so we’ve created two optional Essentials Collection size options: Mostly small, which is a majority S with a few XS and M pieces and mostly large, which is the majority L with a few M and XL and XXL pieces. Everything might not fit you perfectly, but we are trying our best to accommodate for various looks and sizing. We look forward to learning from our Ambassadors over our first couple of seasons and making adjustments as needed.

Q: Are there sales minimums each month/season for Ambassadors and Founders?

A: For our first season, there are no minimums to get people started and familiar with the brand. For season two, we are asking that Ambassadors earn enough in commissions to cover their Essentials Line. We aren’t creating a buying club; we truly want our Ambassadors to represent our line well and make great commissions through styling their communities in our clothing that carries our Mission.

Q: Is there a "must be at least x years old" to be an ambassador?

A. We require women to be 18+ to be Ambassadors but welcome the younger generation as our customers on our DTC site.