Blog-beloved label cooper & ella has only been around a few short years, but they've already got the cred of a much longer-lived brand-since the line's launch in February 2013, it's been called out everywhere from WWD to Teen Vogue and been spotted on celebrities like Nikki Reed and Ashley Greene. And it's easy to see why.

Designer Kara Mendelsohn (the line is named after her two children) is obsessed with ensuring the functionality of her garments. Each piece is designed to be ultra-wearable for women on the go, meaning flattering fits, versatile prints, and hidden bands and closures so that you can wear a bra with every piece, even the ones with open backs.

And that's not all: In partnership with HOPE Charity, cooper & ella's Empower program promises to donate one hot nutritious meal to a child in need for every piece sold, and in this year alone, the brand is committed to donating a minimum of 100,000 meals to the HOPE Foundation School in Bangalore, India.

Mendlesohn chatted with us about the Empower program and what it means to her, as well as how giving back has influenced her approach to design. Keep reading for the full scoop.

What motivated you to incorporate a charitable component into your brand?

It was important to us, from day one, to build a give-back component into the company. We knew we didn't have to be a multi-billion dollar business to make an impact - the smallest actions can make a huge difference. Through our Empower give-back initiative, we're able to donate in a meaningful way. With every cooper & ella purchase made, we provide a hot, nutritious meal to a child in need (now and always.) Each garment features a special hangtag to inform our customer of the initiative. She can see what her purchase is supporting and feel good about that!

Did you know going into this process that you wanted to provide meals to children in need?

No, not initially. We knew we wanted to give-back by 'empowering' those in need; children specifically. Helping children was close to our hearts and we felt would be close to our customer's hearts as well. We just needed to find a way to do it consistently; something that would speak to the brand's DNA and would truly make a difference.

We had the opportunity to work with the HOPE Foundation in India, and when we asked the group how we could best support the children of their HOPE Foundation School Tannery Road, Bangalore they emphatically replied, "by consistently funding their food."

How did you ultimately end up choosing HOPE Charity to partner with?

HOPE practices a 'cradle-to-career' solution that empowers children to succeed in life. By providing the meals we do to the 400+ students at the school, their parents are that much more likely to send them to school in the first place (as this could be their child's only guaranteed meal of the day.) By donating food, we're supporting the school; therefore giving the children that attend the power to change their lives with an education. This simple meal ultimately has the ability to change the whole life trajectory for a child (and his/her family)! We were so impressed by the charity, their dedicated teachers and the power of the meals we could provide (together with our customers), that we decided to make a long-term commitment.

Do you have plans to expand the reach of cooper & ella's giving beyond the Hope Foundation School in Bangalore, India?

As we grow, our ability to make a difference will increase and we would love to expand! We are so excited for what the future will bring!!

Have you found that the charitable aspect of your company has influenced the way you approach your designs?

Bottom line - the more I sell, the more I can give back. That said, I work very hard to create beautiful blouses and dresses that have real value to my customer; elevated designs of amazing quality, at an accessible price. My customer leads a very busy life and she wants to look good while doing it. I aim to make getting dressed the easiest moment of her day. I want our brand to become a reliable go-to for her time and time again.

SHOP: cooper & ella