Shirley Ann May (SΛM) was born on Christmas Day 1930.

She spent her childhood battling the line between being a well behaved young lady and her rebellious spirit. She proved that you could be both and still be feminine, wearing a dress and pigtails while playing pranks on family and friends and running through the fields barefoot.

Shirley then grew out of her prankster phase and became a wife and mother of 2 boys. Raising her children and maintaining a household was not enough. She was most comfortable volunteering at the hospital where she worked for 30 years. She only wanted to work in the emergency department where she could help comfort the injured with compassion and humor.

Shirley started volunteering at the Girl Guides of Canada to support, teach and encourage young girls in her community. This also gave her an opportunity to share her love of crafts and needlework with a new generation. She made beautiful sweaters and blankets for her family and detailed cross stitch pieces, each one lovingly stitched with SΛM, her initials, in the bottom right corner.

Shirley's giving nature, her dedication to supporting others, her creativity and her rebellious spirit were part of the inspiration for her granddaughters to start this company. Combining empowerment and quality is something she stood for and showed through example in her daily life

Georgette Lee (LΛNCE) was born on March 5 1927.

As one of the oldest of 12 children she became a natural leader and did not shy away from confrontation. She got her brothers to teach her how to box and didn’t let her small frame stop her. Her older brother gave her the nickname LΛNCE after he returned from the Second World War as an ode to his rank as Lance Corporal.

She left school at the age of 13 to work and help support her family after her father died. Then bravely moved from New Brunswick to Toronto when she was 18 as there were more opportunities for young women in the workforce and had to immediately learn English.  

Georgette then married and started a family and began to travel. She rode camels in Tunisia, slept in yurts in Mongolia, visited China while still a communist country and camped throughout Europe. She was able to discover the most intimate and interesting details about anyone even the surliest of shopkeepers. Her questions were always open ended and spurred on the conversation. She was honest, ethical and spoke out if anything was wrong or unjust.

She was strong, independent, resourceful and always full of energy. Standing up for others and herself she always stayed true to her beliefs. LΛNCE was an inspiration for this company and community. Showing us that everyone has a story and doing what is easy is not always doing what is right.

The founders, Veronica and Alora are not only sisters but best friends. The millennial versions of their grandmothers SΛM & LΛNCE, and just as strong and independent. They  share a passion for travel, social consciousness and innovation.

Both Shirley (SΛM) and Georgette (LΛNCE) were strong, talented, compassionate, intelligent women that inspired them to build something bigger, to create something they believe in and to always strive to do better. Where transparency and ethical manufacturing come first.

Their mission at SΛM & LΛNCE is to empower and inspire women through curated fashion and lifestyle goods that have been consciously crafted with ethical standards. They hope to connect women from around the world who are creating for a purpose, and shopping with intention. Their goal for SΛM & LΛNCE is to establish a global community of socially conscious women looking to live a more sustainable life.

Between the two sisters they have an MBA and Undergraduate Degrees in Fine Arts, Marketing, International Development and History. Have held jobs in sales, marketing, production, operations, fashion and advertising. They have travelled to over 75 countries and have lived in 3. By combining these learnings and experiences with their passion for empowerment and conscious shopping SΛM & LΛNCE was born.