Sword & Plough

ABOUT US

Sword & Plough has been in the making since our founders, sisters Emily and Betsy, were born into a military family. Living at West Point, sharing Thanksgiving dinners with hundreds of soldiers in mess halls, hearing about her dad’s deployments and research, and watching her uncle, a Marine NASA Astronaut pilot, launch his space shuttle, are just a few of the experiences that inspired Emily to serve as an officer in the U.S. Army.

As a student at Middlebury College, Emily was the only ROTC cadet on a campus of 2,450 — most of her friends had never met someone in the military. After her sophomore year, Emily attended the U.S. Army Airborne School where she met soldiers who spoke of the struggles some of their veteran friends faced while attempting to gain employment after military service.

“From the beginning, Sword & Plough has been about more than just creating bags. We’ve always been excited to create high quality products, but our hope was that these products could be used as a platform to promote change." – Emily Núñez Cavness, Co-founder & CEO

All of these experiences culminated in Sword & Plough's creation during Emily's senior year at college. After listening to an inspiring speech by Jacqueline Novagratz during Middlebury’s first social entrepreneurship symposium, a light bulb clicked on – Emily began to think 'What in my life is often discarded and could be turned into something beautiful with a purposeful mission?" How incredible would it be to repurpose military surplus material into durable and fashionable bags that people could use every day? By incorporating veterans into every stage of the business (from design, to sewing, management, fulfillment, sales, even modeling), we could empower veteran employment. Through its branding and outreach, Sword & Plough could help bridge the civil-military divide. The repurposed bags could be used as conversation pieces and the company could become a platform to strengthen understanding between civilians and the veteran community. Inspired to give back to the veteran community through sustainable fashion, Sword & Plough was born!

OUR MISSION

is to empower veteran employment, reduce waste and strengthen shared civil-military understanding.

REPURPOSED FOR A PURPOSE

Military surplus fabric, leather and hardware is gathered from around the United States.

Bags and accessories are made by veteran-owned or partially operated manufacturers in California, Colorado, Florida, and Kentucky.

Finished products are sent to Sword & Plough's veteran-owned fulfillment center in Indiana where they are packaged using recycled materials.

S&P products are sold around the world through our website, our Denver showroom, other retailers and through Brand Managers (the majority of whom are veterans or military spouses).

We donate 10% of profit to veteran organizations such as Got Your 6 and Team Red, White & Blue.

MEET THE FOUNDERS

Emily Núñez Cavness, Co-Founder and Chairwoman.

Emily is the Co-Founder and Chairwoman of Sword & Plough and a former U.S. Army Captain. During her military service, Emily graduated from Airborne School, served in 10th Special Forces Group, deployed to Afghanistan, and was one of the first 100 women to try out for the U.S. Army’s Ranger Training Assessment Course. Emily channeled her passion for social entrepreneurship, civil-military relations, veteran empowerment, and sustainable design to embody the core values of Sword & Plough. Emily earned her B.A. in International Studies from Middlebury College and her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is a White House Champion of Change and Forbes 30 Under 30 Fellow.

Betsy Nunez

Betsy Núñez, Co-Founder and Director of Brand & Business Development. Betsy is the Director of Brand & Business Development and Co-Founder at Sword & Plough. As a strategist with years of experience in operations and business development, Betsy brings a creative and strategic perspective to the team. Betsy manages Sword & Plough’s sourcing, production and key relationships with our five veteran-owned American manufacturers. Betsy is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Fellow and a Bold Academy Fellow. Passionate and dedicated to driving positive social change, Betsy's goal is to ensure brands, individuals and noteworthy products are given a well-deserved and amplified voice. Betsy holds a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from West Chester University.

MILITARY DISCOUNT

To all U.S. active duty military personnel, National Guard members, Reservists, veterans, retired personnel, spouses and Gold Star family members, we truly appreciate the sacrifices you have made for our country. As a small token of gratitude, we would like to offer a 20% discount on all your orders.

FIRST RESPONDER DISCOUNT

We are thrilled to announce that we now offer a 20% discount to all first responders!