Ashley Freeborn on Clubhouse

Bio

Founder/CEO Smash + Tess
IG: @afreeborn (15.5 K)
@smashtess (272 K)
Email: [email protected]

Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Ashley graduated from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC with a BA in English, a BEd, and an MEd. She taught school for a decade before co-founding Smash + Tess with her mother in 2016.

The idea for Smash + Tess rose out of Ashley’s recognition of an unfilled niche in fashion—a void in the loungewear market. Deciding to fill that void with affordable, stylish, comfortable loungewear, she attended the summer fashion program at Conde Nast in London, UK. Bootstrapping her idea to life, S+T has grown from two employees into a team of 40 in just four years.

As CEO, Ashley oversees everything from designing to financial planning to dreaming up fun and creative marketing campaigns. Under her direction, S+T has grown exponentially in revenue and transnationally in market share and public notoriety. Passionate about creating clothing that celebrates femininity, strength, style, and comfort in women of all shapes and sizes, Ashley is also committed to giving back. S+T has spearheaded several charitable endeavors, raising tens of thousands for dollars for COVID-19 related relief, BC Women’s Hospital, and the Alliance of Moms.

In 2020, Ashley was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, which recognizes the most outstanding leaders in the country. She also led Smash + Tess through their biggest growth year and landed the #8 spot on The Globe + Mail’s Top Growth Companies in 2020 – being the #1 woman-led company on the list! Ashley is a published author and her children’s book Frankie and the Magical Romper can be purchased at Chapters Indigo. She is also a celebrated presenter, touring North America to speak on topics including building a successful brand, e-commerce and D2C sales, authentic collaborations, and social media strategy.