Vergara says new lingerie line assists aspiring businesswomen

MICRO-LOANS

JOHN CARUCCI NEW YORK • Sofia Vergara is debuting a new lingerie line, but she says it’s about more than sexy underwear — it’s also about empowering women in business.

The Modern Family star promoted her EBY line in New York. It’s a subscriptionbased service that also sets aside a portion of the profits to woman entrepreneurs via small loans.

“It’s a fun mission, you know. It’s very exciting to be able to find something so interesting for me,” Vergara said of EBY, an acronym for Empowerment By You.

Vergara went through her own struggles before her financial circumstances changed for the better.

“I was a single mother, and a very young single mother. I moved from Colombia to the United States. One of the most important things for me was to be able to provide for my son, Manolo,” Vergara said this week. “I had dreams for him. I wanted to give him a great college education. I wanted to give him great health care. I wanted to be there for him. I wanted also to help my family in Colombia, and for that, you need money no matter what.”

The idea came from her partner in the project, Renata Black. Ten per cent of the net profit will go to the Seven Bar Foundation, which disperses funds through microfinance loans for business ventures, large and small, as low as US$100.

At launch, the project will aid women in Colombia, but will expand to help those affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria in the United States.

“I really feel that it’s so important to give women a little chance, a little help, because I lived through it when I was young and I needed that one push, that one thing to be able to start in the entertainment business,” she said.

“I know what it feels to have your own money, your independence, so it is superimportant.”

On Tuesday, Forbes named Vergara the highestpaid television actress in the 12-month period ending June 1. She brought in a whopping US$41.5 million for her Modern Family duties, and that’s only a portion of her income.