The award, named for the former dean of the UW Business School who was instrumental in launching the BEDP, recognizes the Washington State firm, owned by a person of color, that has made the most significant impact through profitable growth, quality of management and community involvement. Hip fashion clothier International News is the Kent-based producer and distributor of the Mecca and Alphanumeric clothing lines that are all the rage in schools. Its lines of active urban wear, snowboard gear, hats and socks are distributed worldwide.
Fashion is a business which changes every three months.
We're in a forum where the ability to transform is essential. International News has been especially committed to serving its community. The firm hires and trains personnel through the YMCA's Young Women's Leadership Institute, an organization that helps teenage women from low-income families to develop their potential. It donates clothing to New Beginnings, a Seattle-based shelter for women and their children. And it created Team Mecca High School Fashion Board to give Seattle high school students a chance to learn about the apparel industry.