The Exeter Entrepreneur: Sancho's

Kalkidan Legesse is a social entrepreneur building environmentally sound and socially inclusive businesses. While studying for her degree in Politics, Philosophy & Economics, Kalkidan received support and grant funding from the Student Start-up programme to start sustainable clothing marketplace Sancho’s.

Sancho’s started life as a pop-up selling fairtrade and ethical goods. The business now stocks an array of sustainable, stylish collections retailing from its own bricks and mortar location in Exeter and an online store. Ethics and environmentally sound practices are at the heart of the business. All garments conform to strict and verified sustainable credentials and are made by workers who are paid and treated fairly.

The business reached the finals of the National Santander Entrepreneurship Awards, one of the UK’s largest and most prestigious student and graduate startup competitions. Since graduating, Kalkidan has gone on to complete the Exeter MBA, has been recognised in the Drapers 30 under 30, and was named as one of Santander Breakthrough’s Inspiring Women of Colour.

In an industry sector that has traditionally been notorious for its poor environmental record and treatment of, its predominantly women of colour,

garment makers, Sancho’s commitment to diversity, sustainability and community earned the business the High Street Shop of 2020 in the Holly & Co Independent awards. Sancho’s won plaudits from judges, including NotOnTheHighStreet co-founder Holly Tucker MBE and Lush co-founder Mark Constantine OBE, who described the business as “a beacon of light”.

Kalkidan has quickly established herself as a pioneer of innovation in her field, disrupting the status quo and setting the bar for ethical and sustainable fashion. She has experimented with transparent pricing and ‘pay what you can afford’ models for her product ranges and works to educate consumers about the whole lifecycle of the clothes they wear.

She is currently building a new business with the support of the SETsquared Exeter Business Acceleration team. Owni is a platform that allows brands to offer circular services and customers to extend the useful life of their garments by reselling, repairing or donating items.

In addition to running Sancho’s, Kalkidan advocates for anti-racist strategy and intersectional environmentalism through writing, social media and interactive study.