Today I had the gift of seeing my designs come to life, imagination made real and for sale, I also had the even greater gift of being part of an amazing story. These scarves are useful and beautiful, and the people behind them are real and moving, we should all own one.
fashionABLE is an amazing company in Ethiopia, employing and empowering women in a sustainable business, creating designer scarves with integrity and style, and changing the lives of their employees, hopefully for ever. Buying a scarf is not an act of charity, you are supporting a business that helps vulnerable women create a new future for themselves and their families. Read their stories here, you will be inspired by their courage and hope as I am.
I am more than proud to be a tiny little part of this story, and to add my designs to the skills and moving stories of the weavers behind the product. As part of last years Alt Summit SLC I submitted many scarf designs in a fashionABLE competition and was extremely proud to have two of my designs in the final four. Today Barrett let me know that two of my designs have been adapted for this fall season. I drew on the Africa I know and love, the patterns and the textures, the repetitive rhythms of life, the women who are the nurturing heart and hope of the continent.I hope you love them as I do, I hope you buy them and wear them proudly, knowing that your purchase may change a future, save a family.
This is a product that is greater than its purchase price, it is hope, it is beauty, it is courage, it is compassion. Buy one for somebody you love today.
Scarves top - the Rita, and bottom - the Seble available now at fashionABLE
I have posted about the wonderful fashionABLE business before. An Ethiopian business that empowers women by training them as skilled weavers making gorgeous scarves, see my original post here. Well this lovely scarf arrived in the post last week, just in time for a few chill winters days in Sydney. It is a striking black and white design, the winning design from the Alt SLC competion in which 2 of my designs were also finalists, and I though it looked perfect on the oak table on the verandah.This scarf was woven by Genet and, as with each scarf woven, she has attached a hand written note with a thank you for what she is now ABLE to do through her role at fashionABLE, read more of her story here.
If you read one thing online today make it some of these womens amazing stories of courage and hope, you will be inspired and moved. fashionABLE aims to create a sustainable business that will help these and other women change their lives forever, so stop by and look at their lovely designs, and warm your heart and your body this winter with a fashionABLE scarf of your own.
This Mothers Day give the special women in your life a LiveFashionABLE scarf. This is not just a gift from you, its a gift of hope to the women who make them and their families. Its not a donation, its not a handout, its a sale that will keep the business sustainable, and a sustainable business will give the weavers and their families a future. The crux of this business is empowerment, and what its employees are ABLE to do with their lives, these are some of their stories.
Frehiwot scarves in Marigold and Rose Red.
LiveFashionABLE employs women who were forced into the sex trade to support their families, a question of survival not choice. Anybody who has lived in Africa knows that women are the heart of the continent, they keep their families alive through good times and bad, with love, dignity and very hard work.
Saba infinity scarves in Citrus and Rose.Two scarves I designed were finalists in the competition LiveFashionABLE ran at Alt Summit, I am hoping one of them might make it into production later this year, I will keep you posted. The winning scarf has just been released, called the Genet for the weaver that made her, and for the Janette that designed her, its a sophisticated black and white, perfect for the coming winter season.
At Alt SLC I met Barrett who is the force behind this amazing company. Its always inspiring to meet someone who is really making a meaningful difference to our world. The scarves are priced from $36, for just $36 you can make a real difference too.
Two lessons I am taking from Alt Summit are: - having guts to take risks pays off, and - design collaboration pushes your creative boundaries and can produce great results.
This struck a chord with me specifically because in the the last month I had two unexpected design successes. Both came from collaborations (from Alt Summit related contacts) and both were out of my comfort zone, both meant I had to take a chance and face possible rejection.
The first came out of a collaboration with Ashley Pahl, a wonderful blogger I met during an Alt Summit online lecture. Ashley needed submissions for her ezine, Snowed In and I worked on a few ideas. One was an embroidery DIY, I haven't done embroidery for years but I saw something quite basic in a high end children's design store and thought I could improve on it.Not only did Ashley accept the DIY for her magazine, but a few weeks ago my embroidery was picked up by Apartment Therapy! In the blog world this is big! I still can't quite believe it so I included a screen print just to make sure!!
The second collaboration came out of a competition run for 2013 Alt Summit SLC attendees by fashionABLE. FashionABLE is an inspiring organisation. A grassroots business creating a sustainable business in Ethiopia, empowering vulnerable women, helping them create new lives for themselves and their families. They weave and sell beautiful scarves and when you buy a scarf you are not making a donation, you are buying a desirable item and giving the woman who made it hope, a future, a purpose, dignity. Touchingly each scarf has a handwritten note from its creator, telling you simply what they are ABLE to do because you made this purchase. As I said before, very inspiring, go and have a look for yourself.The fashionABLE challenge was to design a scarf, the best designs to be woven in Ethiopia, presented at Alt SLC, and voted on by attendees. The winning scarf to be made for Mothers Day.I was inspired by the Africa I love, sketched madly at 3 in the morning and sent off multiple designs, and I was totally honoured to discover that two of my designs were not only created but chosen for the top four. The top two below are mine.
Ultimately neither won the contest (the beautiful black and white was the champion) but it was exhilarating to have something go from my imagination to reality. I really do feel I won the jackpot anyway. And there is a good chance the yellow design, called "A Prayer for Rain" will be made this year, I will certainly let you know!! Thats me below modelling them at Alt!
Hopefully the true winners will be the women whose lives and families are being changed forever. And I hope it is not the last time I collaborate with the fashionABLE organisation.
For me taking the plunge, pushing my creative limits, risking rejection, its been very worthwhile. I look forward to future collaborations, meeting incredible people who are taking on the world, to working on projects that will make me grow, its just a part of this wonderful journey that blogging is taking me on.
