In 2017, St. Louis Fashion Fund (SLFF) was gifted with a generous donation of a mobile showcase on wheels — initially known as “Miki’s Closet” — by Lori Sale and Fran Slutsky, who named the fashion truck in memory of their mother, Miki Zimring, a highly successful businesswoman and philanthropist.

The fashion fund took advantage of this gift by motoring the new SLFF truck to area high schools across the region to educate aspiring fashion designers and hosted a number of trunk shows and special events on the road.

In late 2020, the Fund’s focus shifted into another gear to concentrate on job creation and the economic impact of the business of fashion and realized the truck could be of better service to another organization. A call for proposals to share a vision for the truck was sent to local nonprofits and after weighing all the variables, Rung for Women was chosen as the new recipient.  The organization works to help women achieve advancement and provide them and their families with a sustainable living wage. As it explains on its website, rungforwomen.org, “We bring providers under one roof to create a ‘one-stop-shop’ for career and personal growth – all at no cost to our members.”

According to Ali Hogan, founder of Rung, the truck will help them expand their outreach into area neighborhoods to connect with more women.