The51 Holiday Gift Guide 2023
Happy holidays, Financial Feminists!
‘Tis the season of spreading cheer and making your loved ones smile—whether through quality time enjoying a glass of wine, walking through snowy neighbourhoods and taking in the lights, or simply sharing a feel-good hug. If some of that cheer happens to be gift-giving, consider where you’re investing your dollars this season.
The power you have with your purchasing decisions is huge. Thinking even beyond the holidays, women control over $31.8 trillion in worldwide spending and are 49% more likely than men to buy gifts for others. Can you imagine the impact of putting that back into brands founded and led by women?
That’s truly a gift in itself.
Here's a curated collection (in alphabetical order for all you organized list-makers!) of financial feminist brands and organizations to buy from this season and any time. You'll discover a couple straight from our portfolio, a few graduates of the Movement51 Founder Lab, some founders who were up on the HerStory stage, and plenty of loved names from The51 team.
Hover over the wish book items listed to learn a little more about the brand and why we appreciate them.
aaniin started out as a streetwear brand in June 2021. Along with their housebrand, aaniin is an Indigenous retailer that showcases and creates space for Indigenous designers, big and small, across Canada. Their apparel puts money in the hands of Indigenous designers, creators, and artists.
What we appreciate: Chelsee and the team are reclaiming the Indigenous economy through fashion and commerce.
alder makes outdoor recreation apparel for women. They offer inclusive sizing, community-informed design, sustainable and ethical production, and a playful brand that starkly contrasts with the performance-driven, hard-core athletic brands that currently dominate the outdoor space.
What we appreciate: The outdoors are for everyone, and Mikayla, Naomi, and the alder team make it more accessible through their sustainable gear that performs for all bodies.
Beaubble is a brand incubator that treats their creators as true partners in the development process with commitment to bring their creative product vision to life. Their mission is to empower creators with the necessary tools to launch customized, premium brands and products by engaging their communities throughout the creation process.
What we appreciate: Community is the heart of this beauty platform that democratizes the product development process.
BelliWelli
BelliWelli makes probiotic-packed snack bars with belly benefits. The impressive ingredients in their baked bars are not only free from the stuff that often hurts stomachs (think: dairy, gluten, and Erythritol) but also full of stuff our guts need to function properly (think: protein, fiber, and probiotics).
What we appreciate: Our guts are the key to whole body health, and BelliWelli does an excellent (and delicious) job helping us show our insides love.
Better Basics
Better Basics was created with better standards for you + the planet in mind. Their goal was simple: refill and replace everyday home products with reusable or biodegradable alternatives. They are dedicated to using the most recyclable and natural materials (steel, bamboo, cotton, paper) in all of their products.
What we appreciate: They’re real about the frustrating realities of plastic waste but also honest about how challenging it can be to be better, so their earth-safe collections meet you where you are to start doing better.
Birdie
Birdie is a well-tech company working to reduce burnout and loneliness for today and tomorrow's parents. From on-demand to onsite childcare, Birdie has babysitters in neighborhoods across the country that have a reverence for spending time with the next generation. Through their user-friendly app, parents can find sitters and scheduling options for every need.
What we appreciate: For the parents who need a well-deserved date night (ahem, all of you!), this is the way to avoid burnout and get reliable and trustworthy childcare.
Located just outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the heart of the Canadian prairies, Black Fox Farm and Distillery is among the country’s most well-known and well-respected craft distilleries. Acres of fresh fruit, flowers, and grains are harvested and distilled into whisky, gin, and liqueurs that tell a story of terroir and commitment to excellence.
What we appreciate: Few distillers combine agriculture and distilling as beautifully as they do. Because they grow so many of their ingredients on their farm, Barb and John can make choices and combine flavours with precision and intention.
Blume makes your fave lattes—made good for you. Blume supports a no compromise wellness journey by recreating lattes with the magic of superfoods. Whether it's at a cafe or in your own kitchen, Blume makes tasty, organic lattes made with functional superfoods to support your energy, digestion, and sleep.
What we appreciate: We’ve heard Karen’s story countless times, and we’ll always be in awe of her journey going from the caffeinated corporate world to self-care advocate creating good-for-you coffee alternatives. Use code Karen25 for 25% off!
Blume’s natural skincare, self-care, and period care brand are made with ingredients you can pronounce and that will make your skin and body feel strong. Blume delivers when it comes to clarifying and balancing acne-prone skin types!
What we appreciate: Blume has replaced the idea of “perfect skin” with that of “healthy skin”, and they are de-stigmatizing the realities of periods, puberty, and all kinds of totally normal, natural body stuff.
Brie & Banquet is an award-winning, boutique catering company proudly serving Calgary and area since 2017. They create chic, delicious, and almost-too-beautiful-to-eat event food and beverage offerings with a focus on wine & cheese paired with jaw-dropping visuals.
They believe in ease of ordering and price transparency, so they display all of their pricing on their site, along with ordering done there, too—no need for back and forth emails, confusing quoting and lengthy contracts.
What we appreciate: We had such great experience with this Calgary-based women-led caterer for our own events that we know they’d be the perfect fit for the hostess with the mostest (and could use a hand with all the food).
Brood Care is a modern care agency offering in-person birth and postpartum doula services, prenatal classes, as well as online courses aimed at providing care, knowledge and community for families of all shapes and sizes. As Western Canada’s most trusted doula agency, they have served over 700 families since 2019.
What we appreciate: They make family care, health, and education accessible with their in-home and online offerings. From interacting with their website to the co-founders Emma, Lizzy, and Gill themselves, it’s so clear that the entire have their arms and hearts open to offer a new way in which we can all thrive.
Cheekbone Beauty is the very first Indigenous-owned and founded cosmetics company. Their aim is to make a difference in the lives of Indigenous youth through donations that support educational opportunities for them, and to create a space in the beauty industry where everyone, including Indigenous people, feel represented and seen.
What we appreciate: Jenn started Cheekbone Beauty based on a dream she had, and from there, she built such a bold, beautiful, and impactful brand steadfast in Indigenous roots, sustainability, and clean ingredients.
Whether upgrading your own space or working with interior design in a professional capacity (think: designer or realtor), Clavis created an all-in-one platform for designing and decorating virtual spaces with furnishing and materials that can actually be bought. They also provide photorealistic renders that would normally require complex software and a big budget—all to ensure users get 100% satisfaction.
What we appreciate: We love working smarter, not harder. For the one who appreciates good design aesthetics, the simple, readily-sourced interior design platform takes the intimidation of bringing a space to life.
Dodiee is a revolutionary women's ready-to-wear collection uniting Knitwear and Shapewear. You will find within Dodiee a versatility of expression across their collections, from the highly tailored to luxuriously cozy. Use code THE51 for 35% off.
What we appreciate: Inspired by her mother, who passed away at a young age, Elisa created Dodiee as a way to give her mom life, and she’s done so gracefully with pieces that elicit a woman's femininity, inspires her confidence, and welcomes her to live daringly.
Emoot is the evolution of the gift card. Rather than gifting a specific gift card that could get forgotten in the bottom of a drawer or back of a wallet, Emoot helps you personalize the e-transfer of money as gifts to your friends, family, and support network. *Currently early access only
What we appreciate: Not only does Emoot personalize the e-transfer of money as gifts, it also reduces the waste around easy-to-lose, plastic retailer gift cards.
Everist started out as a low-waste brand, then a waterless brand. While they’re still both of those things, the unique composition of their formulas (a hybrid of hair and body care meets skincare) keeps their loyal customers coming back. The shampoo, conditioner, and body wash creams are made in a base of glycerin and aloe vera instead of water.
What we appreciate: Everist products are better for the planet AND people—created optimally for hair, scalp, and skin health that also have a 77% smaller carbon impact.
GlüxKind is built around the idea that every parent should be able to have a great child rearing experience, that tools should aid in caring for little bundles of joy. To that end, they’ve reimagined one of the most important devices in every parent’s life: the baby stroller.
What we appreciate: Anne and the team at GlüxKind have set high-standards for stroller safety, usability, and comfort, and unlike any other average option out there, they’re leaning into technology to help new parents and parents-to-be reach that.
This women-owned, vegan, gluten free, and allergen-friendly banana bread company is at the forefront of the #1 comfort food trend—never compromising on delicious taste with their core and special edition flavours.
What we appreciate: Annie and Morgan are best friends who started GoNanas in college, and we’ll love celebrating women who pursue their passion and build a successful venture—together.
Hettas is building high-performance, technical running shoes for women from the ground up. Historically, athletic footwear has been designed, researched, and tested for men; Hettas operates from a purely female perspective. Their mission is to ensure the female running experience gets the funding, research, and recognition it deserves.
What we appreciate: Lindsay is building a community of aspiration and celebration for today and tomorrow. Hettas is named for her twin daughter and stands for making the future as prepared for the next generation of women as they are for it—designing a more equitable world in sport from the ground up.
Launched in 2019, Home Spritz professionals have provided the highest quality cleaning services to homeowners and businesses. Rather than changing cleaners, varying quality, and giving your house code to any cleaner who comes in, Home Spritz focuses on building 1-to-1 relationships between cleaners and clients.
What we appreciate: If acts of service is your giftee’s love language, this is it. For them, it gives them a break and a clean home from an ethical company: Home Spritz supports a living wage for their employees and contractors, and most of the money from bookings stays local with the cleaner to help them support their family and the community.
HOPE envisions a world where doing right for pets, people, and planet is ubiquitous. They use science to create better pet food with nutrient-rich insects, algae and fungi, leaving livestock and fish ingredients behind.
What we appreciate: With HOPE, each and every ingredient has been carefully considered, researched, and tested to create premium formulas that are sustainably produced and deliver on nutrition and taste. Additionally, over 25% of all the meat produced in North America goes towards feeding our pets, which leaves a massive carbon footprint, so bringing the latest science to pet food, their formulas are made with insect protein instead.
Jaya is a labour of love, crafted by the team at Field Notes. Chai is a symbol of hospitality and a ritual in social connection. Passed down through generations and across geography, every home has their own recipe—a special touch that makes the recipe uniquely theirs. Jaya is crafted from Canadian oats, infused with black Assam tea leaves, and enriched with our special blend of aromatic spices like cardamom and clove, sweetened with luscious beet sugar.
What we appreciate: Jaya Chai Liqueur combines Faaiza’s South Asian family heritage with her Canadian upbringing by using distilled Canadian oats and their traditional chai recipe. There’s no better story and passion behind a product than one that’s homegrown.
Created in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, the Jennifer Joan collection was created to bring you the ultimate skincare experience. Jennifer Joan Skincare carries a selection of vegan, non-toxic, clean skincare products, bath & body products, men's grooming products, and more to bring intention and luxury to your every day.
What we appreciate: A fave of The51 team, the brand is a luxurious reminder for slow, intentional skincare practices that are simple and effective. There’s nothing like deep self-care to help you feel your most beautiful.
kegg® is a medical-grade fertility device that gives women accurate and personalized fertility tracking through cervical fluid in just 2 minutes a day. Kristina and the team have a mission to live in a world where women are empowered by knowledge about their bodies, and they are leveraging the power of AI and the world's largest dataset on vaginal health to revolutionize women's healthcare.
What we appreciate: kegg was created for and by women who have been there (hello to the massive and underserved femtech market!). kegg is more than just a device; it’s a data-driven solution that empowers women to take proactive steps in managing their reproductive health.
KENT emerged from a desire for simple, 100% cotton underwear that reflects a sustainable and natural lifestyle. After extensive research and consultations with over 1,000 women, KENT developed underwear that is both aesthetically pleasing and made from natural materials, aligning with their belief in looking good, feeling good, and doing good every day.
What we appreciate: We love their ‘Plant Your Pants’ campaign and the fact that through their Compost Club offers a circular solution to the growing crisis of clothing waste. When their underwear has reached its time, KENT can be turned unto nutrient-rich soil.
Kinfield is a skincare and personal care brand rooted in the joy and spirit of the outdoors, inspired by founder Nichole Powell's outdoor adventures from her childhood. Kinfield exists to bridge the gap between adventure and everyday, offering thoughtful and clean products that inspire happier, healthier lives through more time outside.
What we appreciate: Sustainability is at the heart of Kinfield, and all their products are cruelty-free, vegan, and free from parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and petroleum. They choose to pay more for sustainably sourced ingredients, forgo unnecessary packaging and shipping materials to ship waste-free, and support organizations that align with their mission to enable outdoor access and responsible environmental stewardship.
Loba Wellness is pill organization that's smart and beautiful. When founder Kate Bouchard was looking for a way to organize her naturopathic treatment plan that included vitamins and supplementation, there were no products to suit both her needs and her aesthetic, let alone one that helped people remember to take their pills. So, she made her own that connects to an app where you can manage your schedule, set reminders, add pills, track your habits, and more.
What we appreciate: Kate and her team do a wonderful job of de-stigmatizing medication, creating a positive sentiment around taking pills in support of paths to wellness—making the every day beautiful.
Lyric Cycles is one of the few electric bike and motorcycle manufacturers fully developed in Canada and North America. Their commitment to quality is evident in designing and prototyping frames in Alberta, using high-quality components, prioritizing serviceability, and ensuring customer satisfaction, even if it means a slightly higher cost, emphasizing the importance of reliability over a lower price.
What we appreciate: There’s no cutting corners to what Andi, Andrew, and the team are accomplishing. We admire their commitment to quality paired with their mission to replace 1 billion miles of gas powered trips with their bikes (if their rider community accomplishes this, they will have replaced 190,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions!).
Outdoor apparel brands traditionally use a mix of sizing information to develop sizing that is "close enough" for their target market. By trying to fit everyone, they are effectively fitting no one. MADE creates custom outerwear with the belief that every user deserves a kit tailored to fit their body, resulting in your best performance in the mountains.
What we appreciate: For Cheryl, Capri, Dustin, and the team, inclusivity starts from the ground up, and they want anyone and everyone to feel comfortable in their gear—gender has nothing to do with that. With MADE, they’re marking the end of men's vs women's colours, the pink tax, and other common practices that have become the norm in the outdoor industry.
Co-Founders Dani Kagan and Victoria Marshman are revolutionizing the slipper industry with luxury ergonomic slippers designed to enrich every woman’s life. Their slippers are designed with nine function-first features to provide unparalleled support without having to compromise on style.
What we appreciate: Former competitive dancers turned entrepreneurs, Dani and Victoria know the importance of taking care of physical health and are well-experienced to execute their vision. And through it all, they are building a great community around their product while having a lot of fun in the process (just check out all their dance videos!).
Milk Jar is a clean-burning plant-based and phthalate-free candle company that has become a household name in Calgary. Started in founder Holly Singer’s kitchen in 2016, Milk Jar answers two of her desires: to bring clean-burning, beautifully smelling candles to the local market and to be a vehicle for giving back. $1 from every Milk Jar product is donated to non-profits and initiatives that support inclusion.
What we appreciate: The image says a lot—check out the collaboration we did with them for those gorgeous Movement51 candles! We love that doing good is more than just an afterthought but built right into their business model. Since 2016, they have donated over $236K.
MINDD is the first bra and intimates company dedicated to designing wireless solutions specifically for D+ breasted women. Helena and the team have engineered proprietary and patent-pending MINDD™ Tech: a seven-zone support system tailored to the underserved share of women who wear a D+ cup bra.
What we appreciate: Major brands haven't been interested in investing in the complex innovation required to master inclusive sizing in bra design, but inclusivity is what MINDD is all about. Along with leveraging her own impressive background and experience, Helena has taken the time to carefully collaborate with the world’s top bra researchers, talking to customers, and innovating in partnership to create an everyday piece so many women benefit from.
Naturemary is a wellness brand creating formulations from a carefully crafted combination of CBD-alternative beta caryophyllene and other natural ingredients. Their body-care, natural skincare, and beauty products specifically target the body's system responsible for managing skin balance, pain, and inflammation.
What we appreciate: Sonia Mary Kalra is honest about Naturemary’s founding story, including the intense amounts of research she conducted to create plant-based formulations that don't just mask symptoms but promote deep systemic balance.
Numi is an innovative apparel brand challenging the trade-off between style and practicality in women's clothing. With a mission to simplify women's lives, they offer solution-based products consciously designed for comfort and environmental friendliness, emphasizing sustainability and eco-friendly practices.
What we appreciate: Numi is a real solution to a problem many women face but not many of us talk about. We love the upward trend that style doesn’t have to sacrifice practicality or function, allowing us to live with less worry over minor everyday inconveniences.
Poppy Barley creates polished, everyday footwear for kick-ass people who don't have time for sore feet. Co-founders Kendall and Justine Barber wanted to design boots, shoes, and accessories for people like themselves (all women!) who care about comfort and style, but refuse to compromise their values of caring for the planet and people.
What we appreciate: They have re-thought every step of the luxury footwear game to create sustainably-made products that are fairly-priced and designed to be worn on repeat (see: their Certified B Corp that proves they care for people and the planet).
Road Coffee brings quality roasted coffee to Canada, directly from the farmer's hands to your cup. Alisha and the team are passionate about building relationships, and their passion for coffee has led them across the world to meet and learn from coffee farmers. They have a strong desire not only to roast and create amazing coffee but to influence and innovate in an industry that impacts farmers in developing countries.
What we appreciate: Not only are Road Coffee’s beans ethically and sustainably sourced, but their BeyondFair program removes unnecessary middlemen from the supply chain and allows Road Coffee to provide both liveable wages and manageable micro-loans directly to its partnering smallholder farmers.
Shine turns wind into power with a 40-watt portable wind turbine for charging handheld electronics. They have scaled down supersized wind turbines into something you fit into a backpack, making it portable and user-friendly.
What we appreciate: Convenient renewable energy—need we say more? Okay, we will: up to 85% of Shine’s parts are recyclable and have been designed for 1,000+ hours of operation (expected to last at least five years), they use plastic-free and 100% recyclable and biodegradable packaging, and it's manufactured and tested in-house at their environmentally friendly factory to reduce the GHGs that comes from overseas shipping.
Shoelace delivers the best education through games kids love. Julia Dexter and the team have built a world-class library and learning engine to personalize learning for each kid. The design focuses on measuring mastery of comprehension skills and building the muscle of thinking critically with broadened context. Additionally, they've built a game platform connecting popular video games to personalized learning.
What we appreciate: Our future generations will go on to solve some of the world’s great challenges, so we love that Shoelace has gamified developing critical thinking skills. To get kids to invest in their learning, we need to meet them where they are at, and video games are excellent common ground.
Silver Swallow is the world's first champagne-inspired non-alcoholic kombucha. Genna and Andrew sourced the best teas to create delicate, layered drinks accented by the fermented notes of kombucha. These better-for-you wine-alternatives are created with premium ingredients, are beautifully designed, and have a celebratory cork to pop.
What we appreciate: For those whose love language is food and drink, this is the perfect option if they want a bubbly but not boozy option. Non-alcoholic options can be slim, so this is a wonderful way for anyone to raise a healthy, feel-good toast.
SOLIS is a portable makeup brush sanitizer that kills 99.9% of bacteria and germs in 60 seconds. Their unique tech is a safer and more effective way of sanitizing your beauty tools that avoids the use of harsh chemicals, ensuring that your skin and tools stay healthy and damage-free.
What we appreciate: The beauty of clean technology is SOLIS. We love that it not only deep cleans and disinfects your makeup brushes and applicators for healthier skin and longer lasting tools, it also saves money on cleaning products in the long run and helps the environment by replacing single-use applicators and the use of harsh chemicals.
State of Change creates vegan, non-toxic, cruelty-free, clean ingredients, and skin-safe fragrances that are beautiful and healthy for you and the planet. Whereas most fragrances (and other personal care products) don’t disclose their full list of ingredients (because they legally don’t have to, which has become a loophole for potentially harmful chemicals), State of Change believes that transparency builds trust and you deserve to know what you are putting on your body.
What we appreciate: Ashlee and her team thoughtfully source only the safest, validated ingredients to help their customers feel confident in the products they are using. On top of that, it’s all in beautiful packaging that’s plastic-free, glass-free, and fully recyclable or re-fillable.
The Thoughtful Co. supports women in negotiating their compensation, and advises employers on improving gender equity in the workplace. Co-founders Jillian Climie and Sophie Warwick are compensation experts that provide strategic advice and guidance on retention, policy, and governance, all informed by research and data. Use the code The51xTTC for 10% off their services *by Dec 31, 2023.
What we appreciate: What Jillian and Sophie offer may not be able to be tied up with a bow, but it’s a gift that you may not know you need that truly pays dividends. By enabling recognition, opportunity, and influence for women in the workplace, we can get what we deserve.
Three Ships is on a mission to be the most effective natural beauty brand in the world. They believe you don't need a 12-step skincare routine to have happy, healthy skin. Three Ships products are formulated by world-class chemists to solve skin problems simply.
What we appreciate: Laura and Connie make it easy to see how Three Ships is better for you and the planet through their Ingredient Glossary and Source Maps, telling the sustainability story for each ingredient. Bye to the greenwashed, overpriced, and overcomplicated skincare on the market!
TWIGZ are Canada’s original craft pretzels. This family enterprise has four bold flavours in over 7,000 retailers across Canada, and every bag of TWIGZ is proudly produced and packed in Alberta.
What we appreciate: Ashley, Mark, and Kirk are siblings turned business partners that created and perfected their recipe with their mom, and we can always get behind supporting a family business that’s worked incredibly hard to get onto retail shelves.
Waggle Mail is Canada's only vet-curated dog subscription box packed with purposeful toys, treats, and accessories. With a focus on health, wellness, and quality information and products, Waggle Mail challenges the conventional dog subscription box model (think: simple new toys and treats). Dr. Christine Beck and her team empower pet parents, seeking their input and providing them the resources they need to support their dogs’ wellbeing.
What we appreciate: An obvious win-win for dogs and their owners, we love that this subscription is vet-curated from head to tail and takes the worry out of wellness.
‘Free-spirited botanical cocktails’ is the first thing you’ll read on the website, and this is true: Wild Folk has a roster of botanically brewed, zero proof cocktails ready to drink anytime, anywhere, by anyone. Trained as a health-focused vegetarian chef, Founder Dalia Kohen sources local and global integral products, using artisanal quality, fair-trade, and hand-harvested when available, and showcasing seasonality and locality in all their brews.
What we appreciate: Sparkling negroni? Vermouth spritz? AND all non-alcoholic? Having the option and convenience of non-alcoholic cocktails is a fun way to shake up conversations and connections at any gathering.
Wilet is a Vancouver-born and based home-essentials brand. Their flagship product is 100% linen bedding, and over the next few years, their business grew beyond bedding into thoughtful soft goods for the entire home and everyone in it. Each item is, and will always be, created with the purpose of ensuring you have the most comfortable experience and live well-rested.
What we appreciate: Co-founders Anna, Oana and Vivian continue to evolve their offerings to welcome more people to the brand and embrace slowing down. Their products are crafted ethically around the globe, and the team works tirelessly to achieve the quality and integrity that they demand for their linen.
Wizar delivers learning for kids in an immersive and gamified environment. They aim to reimagine the future of education by providing a gateway to game-based learning, nurturing children’s natural curiosity to get them excited about learning.
What we appreciate: Any opportunity to encourage early STEM learning is a great move in our eyes! This is such an effective way to turn screen time into an opportunity for littles to understand how the world works and help them discover the joy and pride of constructing new things.
You Inner Wellth* is the first supplement line dedicated to alleviating PMS and perimenopausal symptoms and increasing lean muscle mass in women. Driven by science, every ingredient is in a quantity scientifically proven to give you the results you expect.
What we appreciate: The health and wellness journey can be complicated and overwhelming, so Kristi has done the research (a lot of it!) to help women embrace their full potential, feel confident, and lead vibrant, fulfilling lives with science-backed solutions.
Got some of your own favourite financial feminist brands and organizations to buy from? Leave them in the comments below 👇 and share the wealth with your fellow feminists!
*All images courtesy of brands mentioned.