Infinite Goods: Aileen Lee’s Vision for a Circular Fashion Marketplace

In this exclusive interview, we delve into the inspiring journey of Aileen, the Founder and CEO of Infinite Goods. From her humble beginnings on the sales floor at Lands' End to spearheading a sustainable fashion revolution, Aileen's story is one of determination, innovation, and a deep-rooted commitment to environmental responsibility. Aileen's passion for sustainable fashion was ignited during her time in the retail industry, where she witnessed firsthand the vast waste problem plaguing the sector.

This experience led her to establish Infinite Goods, a unique fashion marketplace that stands for sustainable production and ethical labor practices. At the heart of Infinite Goods are three unwavering values: curated discovery, credible sustainability, and active impact. These principles guide the company's mission to transform the fashion industry, making it more beneficial for both our planet and its people. Infinite Goods differentiates itself from other fashion marketplaces through its rigorous vetting process.

Each product is measured based on its environmental and social impact, ensuring transparency and accountability in an industry often criticized for its lack of both. As the company continues to grow and evolve, Aileen remains committed to raising the bar for sustainability standards within the fashion industry. She envisions a future where every item of clothing is made with recycled materials, and every garment worker is justly paid. In this interview, we explore Aileen's vision for a more sustainable future, the role of Infinite Goods in the broader movement towards ethical fashion, and what the tagline "Infinite Goods: Where Fashion Meets Purpose" truly means to her.

1. Aileen, can you tell us about your journey from working on the sales floor at Lands' End to becoming the Founder & CEO of Infinite Goods?

I grew up in North Carolina so working in the fashion industry was a distant dream. At 16, I started working at the mall in my hometown. I fell in love with the fast-paced environment and the beautiful products, which inspired me to pursue a career in retail.

After graduating from Wharton, I went on to work at retail company transformations through BCG including Brooks Brothers. For Brooks Brothers, I launched the new flagship store format at Hudson Yards.

Through these experiences, I saw the vast waste and sustainability problem first-hand. This led me to pivot my career towards sustainable fashion and build Infinite Goods.

2. What inspired you to create a sustainable fashion marketplace like Infinite Goods?

While working for a retail company, I was sent to a distribution center. I walked into what felt like a Costco, but with customers replaced with forklifts. Behind the back was the largest metal trailer I had ever seen. Into it, smaller trailers would dump damaged and returned clothing. To my horror, I learned it was a giant incinerator.

The closing top of the incinerator disturbed me for years as we continued to over forecast inventory to ensure sales. I remember that moment vividly and it drove me to discover a way for our waste streams to be turned into value. I looked at how the plastics industry moved towards recycling, the electronics industry refurbishes computers, the grocery industry sells imperfect produce, and thought - why can’t we do this in fashion?

3. How does Infinite Goods differentiate itself from other fashion marketplaces?

At Infinite Goods, we stand for sustainable production and ethical labor practices. We make it easy for consumers who care to shop in line with their values by filtering through thousands of sustainable products and vetting them. We developed our Sustainability Score as a way to measure every product on its environmental and social impact and is our answer to the lack of transparency and accountability in the fashion industry.

4. Can you tell us more about the "unwavering values" at the core of Infinite Goods?

Our values are: curated discovery, credible sustainability, and active impact. Curated discovery means that we hunt for the best-in-class styles that meet our sustainability standards. We are credible in our sustainability because we have an expert team of PhD and Masters and invest in creating circularity through our recycling program. Lastly, we are active advocates of change including hosting educational events and lobbiers for the New York Fashion Act to regulate the fashion industry.

5. Can you elaborate on the mission of Infinite Goods and how it aims to revolutionize the fashion industry?

Our mission is clear: to become the vanguard of sustainable fashion marketplaces, cracking the code on sustainable production and ethical labor practices for the modern woman.

With Infinite Goods, we are building a world where it’s not a tradeoff between sustainability and style, a world where every item of clothing is made with recycled materials, and a world where every garment worker is justly paid.

6. Can you tell us more about the process of curating brands for Infinite Goods? What criteria do you use to select them?

We use eight environmental and social metrics. Today, most fashion brands are meeting none of these so we are looking for leaders who are making captivating changes in two to three metrics. Our environmental metrics include innovative raw materials, non-toxic chemicals and dyes, renewable energy usage, and waste saving. Our social metrics include living wages, excellent working conditions, excellent workers’ rights, and gender/racial diversity.

7. How do you see the role of Infinite Goods in the broader movement towards sustainable and ethical fashion?

Retailers and brands today have not made significant strides towards becoming more sustainable. We see our role as leading the charge towards showing the industry that consumers want sustainability and are willing to pay for it. We hope Infinite Goods is the catalyst for others to join us in a path towards better environmental and social choices.

8. How does Infinite Goods plan to maintain its commitment to sustainability as it grows and evolves?

As the industry evolves, we will use our Sustainability Score to raise our standards. For example, our brands excel in 2-3 categories today and one day they will have to excel across all categories.

9. Finally, what does the tagline "Infinite Goods: Where Fashion Meets Purpose" mean to you personally?

I believe fashion is tightly interwoven with identity as a way to express oneself. When we say “fashion meets purpose” we are saying that there no longer needs to be a tradeoff between looking good and feeling good, but you can now wear something that expresses both your personal style and values as a person.