Vergara: Lingerie line empowers women

Associated Press

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 subscription-based 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 Tuesday. “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.”

Ten percent 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 $100.