Xenia Ambatzoglou turns women’s economic history into a fashion brand

By AI, Created 11:16 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Xenia Ambatzoglou, founder of 1988, is using apparel and community events to spotlight the 1988 law that expanded women’s access to business credit. The brand blends fashion, education, and advocacy to make women’s economic history more visible across the NY/NJ Tristate Area and beyond.

Why it matters: - 1988 ties a fashion brand to the Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988, a law that helped women access business credit without a male co-signer. - The brand is built to make women’s economic history visible and to turn that history into education, community, and action. - Xenia Ambatzoglou is positioning community as a practical source of access, not just a message.

What happened: - Xenia Ambatzoglou founded 1988, a design-led women’s empowerment apparel brand based in the NY/NJ Tristate Area. - The brand uses apparel, speaking, and community experiences to connect fashion with ownership and economic access. - Ambatzoglou drew on a 20-year career in financial services to build the company. - She previously launched a Women in Business program in banking focused on education, resources, and community-building for women entrepreneurs. - After her corporate role was eliminated, she shifted fully into community-based brand building.

The details: - 1988’s mission is to educate, connect, and activate women through fashion. - The brand’s products are meant to spark conversation about ownership, access, and the networks behind women’s success. - Ambatzoglou holds a master’s degree in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design. - The hero Collage Tee uses a copyrighted layered visual archive of women, movements, and milestones tied to access and ownership. - The Collage Scarf is made from Italian silk, crafted near Lake Como, and finished in New York. - The brand says products are intentionally produced and U.S.-made where possible. - Ambatzoglou oversees product design, sourcing, community partnerships, speaking engagements, and brand strategy. - 1988 has built a national press presence, a growing customer community, and a speaking platform across the region.

Between the lines: - 1988 is not trying to sell clothing first. It is using clothing as a vehicle for economic storytelling. - Ambatzoglou’s emphasis on physical events suggests the brand is leaning into in-person trust and engagement instead of relying only on digital reach. - Her message reframes access as something built through relationships, not individual effort alone. - A portion of 1988 proceeds supports organizations advancing women’s access, leadership, and opportunity.

What’s next: - Ambatzoglou will continue speaking at women’s organizations, corporate ERGs, universities, and founder communities. - Her signature talk, Credit Given, Community Gained, focuses on the unseen networks behind women’s success. - Other talks include Building Without a Blueprint and Community Is Capital. - The brand is expected to keep expanding through pop-ups, panels, gatherings, and micro-events. - Ambatzoglou plans to keep using 1988 to reach women entering business who are looking for visibility, support, and a different model of ownership.

The bottom line: - 1988 is turning a little-known piece of women’s economic history into a brand platform for access, identity, and community power. - In 2026, Ambatzoglou was featured by Visions Federal Credit Union as a Voice of Innovation in its InnovateHER program. - She is also a mentor with The Wonder Girls, a member of the Female Founder Collective and Empowering Women that Rock, and a supporter of the YWCA of Northern NJ. - Her public profile and company site are available through her Influential Women profile and 1988 website.