Amid legal dispute, Adore Me launches scholarship program for women in business

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
May 17, 2017

Lingerie company Adore Me has announced a new scholarship program to support women pursuing a business education.

The e-commerce brand makes its philanthropic announcement on the heels of being named in a lawsuit by Hanesbrands for patent infringement of the patented Maidenform "adds 2 cup sizes" bra cup design. Adore Me has been selling bras named after the patented technology that Maidenform owns.

Of the history of the scholarship, Adore Me said, "Adore Me has become a major disruptor in an industry that was previously dominated by one company. Adore Me supports and encourages all women who share the same entrepreneurial mind-set [as CEO and founder Morgan Hermand-Waiche] to achieve their dreams."

Ads

Adore Me has an inherently entrepreneurial spirit, having grown as a startup into a global brand employing 100 people across the US and Europe. Adore Me has raised $11.5 million in VC and has over a million Facebook followers.

The $1,000 scholarship is open to high school graduates and current university students pursuing degrees in business. Adore Me looks to applicants who have either started their own businesses already or have plans to.

The company has named its Spring 2017 winner, Victoria Sullivan, an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Sullivan caught Adore Me's eye by showing her leadership as captain of multiple intramural sports teams and as vice president of the campus honor society.

The scholarship offers a more positive look at the brand which has yet to file an answer to the complaint in the patent case that was filed in North Carolina. Undoubtedly, Adore Me's lawyers are attempting a strategic defense to what is likely going to be determined as patent infringement.