Karen Fowler is a fashion designer and activist who has launched three successful brands. Prior to co-founding Pour Les Femmes, Fowler launched the cult-favorite label Gypsy and then resort wear label Soleil de Mer. She started her career in fashion at the luxury brand Ralph Lauren. 

Fowler is a passionate supporter of causes related to supporting women in conflict regions around the world. She launched the sewing workshop for the embroiders of the GiveWork program in Goma,  DRC, which to date has trained over 200 artisans, many of whom are widows of Virunga National Park soldiers, allowing these women to work for a living wage in a historically war-torn region of a country where the average income is less than $2 per day. 

The GiveWork atelier now not only handcrafts the popular GiveWork capsule collection for Pour Les Femmes but also creates garments for other socially conscious brands, connecting the people of Eastern Congo with export opportunities to the rest of the world. In addition, Fowler co-founded the Pour Les Femmes Foundation which has donated funds for the construction of a new GiveWork tailoring workshop and to support and expand the Congo Peace School, in Bukavu, DRC.