London Inc. Fall 2022 - 10

Upfront Social Enterprise
BEYOND WORK
An expanding social enterprise creates community
capital by supporting immigrants and newcomers
KAY HABIB HOPES that before companies start shopping
for staff and client appreciation gifts for the holiday season,
they will pause before filling an Amazon shopping cart.
" I'm hoping they will ask where is this product coming
from? What impact will it have on local workers? Or on the
environment? "
As the founder of social enterprise Skilled Accents
(www.skilledaccents.com), which has recently grown by
absorbing the like-minded social enterprise World Tailors,
Habib runs an organization with a trio of equally important
pillars: people, planet and profit - and she is constantly juggling
all three.
The company produces a variety of sustainable fabric
products, including pillows, aprons, wine bags and totes.
Through Skilled Accents, Habib provides employment
opportunities to refugees and newcomers to Canada - and
repurposes discarded textiles that would otherwise be
thrown into the garbage.
She is also conscious that Skilled Accents is a business that
needs to make money if she's going to keep the doors open.
" We strive to provide skills training and a safe space,
10|londonincmagazine.ca|FALL 2022
Skilled Accents founder, Kay Habib, and business development director,
Cecile Klerks
and to reduce unemployment in local marginalized
communities, " Habib says. " We do a lot of coaching about
the Canadian workforce. Some of the women progress to take
on supervisory roles with us, some have moved on to school
or other work.
" Part of our mission is to recycle and repurpose textiles, "
she continues, " to reduce waste and better help the
environment. "
As for profitability, Habib says building a for-profit social
enterprise that can change the community for the better is
a challenging task, but the young organization is moving in
the right direction. " We are just breaking even right now. "
The items produced by Skilled Accents are sold in the
company's showroom in on Woodcock Street near the intersection
of Hyde Park and Fanshawe Park roads, at Covent
Garden Market on Saturdays and at various area pop-up
markets, particularly during the holiday season.
When Habib first arrived in Canada, with a master's
http://www.skilledaccents.com
London Inc. Fall 2022

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