May 2012
2 posts
Introducing the "Sadik" designer Johanna...
I recently reconnected with a local designer here in Austin, Johanna Hatzenbuehler, who is currently teaching Architectural Draping and Advanced Pattern Making at the Austin School of Fashion Design. In the past she has designed accessories and knit wear for Free People and Urban Outfitters. Last year we connected with Johanna through our design partnership division. The sketches and ideas she...
April 2012
1 post
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Raven + Lily Infographic: How We Operate + Our...
Dear Friends,
I’m thrilled to share with you our first infographic that gives you a glimpse of Raven + Lily behind the scenes. Co-founder Sophia Lin created a beautiful info-graphic to show how we operate, who we employ, our supply chain, and our proceeds. This graph summarizes our impact from just our Fall 2011 sales.
In addition, our team put together 10 top ways we strive to be...
March 2012
6 posts
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Hand-loomed with Love by Tirunesh!
This week we launched our newest collection of scrumptious hand-loomed cotton scarves from Ethiopia!
The women who make these scarves used to suffer under back-breaking work for less than $1 a day. Now they have been trained in the traditional artisan skill of hand-looming! Sophia and I are both major fans of all things hand-loomed, so we are thrilled to be able to offer scarves that will...
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Lilac
Each season, we focus on a color scheme that is woven throughout our designs. For our Spring 2012 Collection, we chose lovely LILAC.
Its perfect for a surprise pop of color on the Alem necklace from Ethiopia…
The bronze gingko print looks fresh on our lilac colored recycled cotton paper collection from India…
And I love the lilac stripes on our new hand-loomed cotton...
Raven + Lily at Style X for South by Southwest
It was so fun to be apart of the 2nd Style X event during the 2012 SXSW festival. The vendors present were an eclectic range from high quality gentleman’s wear such as HELM and Dandy’s to street wear brands like deeFind and HoodieBuddie to socially conscious brands like Oliberte, Krochet Kids, and yours truly, Raven + Lily.
Sarah Keilers (left), rep from The Forge Showroom, and...
The Shot Seen Round the World: Cambodia
Lead designer Lori Fox had an amazing time visiting Cambodia, where she traveled to shoot the Raven + Lily Fall/Winter 2012 look book. Here is her behind-the-senes look at the photo shoot:
This was my first time to Cambodia and it was a magical experience that I can’t wait to visually share with you this fall. After gathering our small team including model, photographer, producer, and...
In Loving Memory of Ruksanna
Lori Fox, our wonderful lead designer, just returned from her design trip around the world. She worked on upcoming collections and got first hand accounts of how our partnerships are impacting the women involved. Her time in India was particularly difficult, and I wanted her to share the story of Ruksanna, one of our artisans that passed away during her visit. We hope this post honors her life....
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Our Spring/Summer 2012 Collection and Look Book!
Oh so happy to announce the launch of our new Spring/Summer 2012 Raven + Lily Collection, featuring beautiful designs made with love by the women in our Ethiopia and India partnerships. I am so proud of their hard work, and I am so thrilled to finally get to share it with you!
Our new lookbook features photography by the talented Christina M. Feliz and artisan photos by the amazing Esther...
February 2012
1 post
Around the World: Hello from Ethiopia
Our lead designer, Lori Fox, left last week on a month-long journey visiting our partnerships around the world. Lori will literally be flying around the world— Africa, India, Cambodia, and back! Her first stop is Ethiopia, where she is working on designs with the artisans. Enjoy her first update from her travels:
The women have been so enthusiastic about the new designs. Today I did some...
January 2012
5 posts
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Forever in My Heart
To My Dear Cambodian Sisters,
What a joy it has been getting to know you and your amazing country. I feel that I have made so many wonderful new friends and sisters.
You welcomed us into your families….
And into you humble homes…. showing us such hospitality and grace.
Though you may not have much, your hearts were big and your smiles contagious.
You were the best...
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Magical Angkor
Dear Mystical Temples of Angkor,
I felt like I was on the set of a movie as I wandered your millennium old ruins…
You were beautiful, romantic, and mezmorizing…
Everything seemed surreal.
I think you will remain in my dreams for quite some time.
Kirsten
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Displaced
Dear Maleng,
Thank you so much for welcoming us to learn more about what happened to your family and neighbors last week. Its so hard to understand why the government could bulldoze your home of 10 years with no warning…
Leaving you and hundreds of other families with nothing but rubble.
I am so deeply sorry. I want you to know that I will be praying for you as you seek to provide...
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Keok'Jay
Dear R+L Customers and Supporters,
Greetings from lovely Cambodia! We’re having such an incredible time working on the Fall/Winter 2012 Collection with our new Cambodian partnership - Keok’Jay (meaning: fresh green fashion in Khmer). This wonderful social business trains HIV positive women from vulnerable backgrounds in design skills. The women are so beautiful and hospitable!
We...
Charming Cambodia
Dear Cambodia,
You claim to be charming. Well, I’ve definitely been charmed…
By your glistening royal palaces…
Your lovely little markets filled with local artisan goods…
Your relaxing boutique hotels tucked away in back alleys…
Your intriguing patterned sidewalks…
And beautiful ladies in tuk tuks (like Rachel-director of Keok’Jay +...
December 2011
3 posts
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My Sweet Mei Li
My Daughter Mei Li turned 8 last weekend. She is a precious, joyful child. It’s hard to imagine her life if she weren’t in our family. She is grateful…you see it in her smile. We are grateful…you can see it in ours.
She loves Raven + Lily. Loves hearing the stories of the women and spending time with our team. She loves helping in the studio. She often...
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The Forge
We have some pretty awesome Southern reps for Raven + Lily from The Forge Showroom, located right here in Austin, Texas. We chose The Forge Showroom because they are incredible, like-minded gals with a...
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Education for the Children of our Artisans!
Dear Friends…I am so thrilled to let you know about the opportunity to help fund scholarships for the precious children living on Enototo Mountain in Ethiopia through our partnership with Tirzah International.
These are the children of our Ethiopian artisans, and we want to help send them to a good school where they can receive a good education. We’ll be sending back our...
November 2011
2 posts
Open Arms
I recently crossed paths with a wonderful social enterprise also based in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas…actually just a few minutes from the Raven + Lily showroom. Its called Open Arms - A company with a conscience supporting local refugee women. Let’s just say that we totally “get” each other as socially conscious businesses. What a joy to have such like-minded...
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Andinet's Story
One of my favorite aspects of Raven + Lily (and in particular, my role with Raven + Lily) is getting to share the stories of the women in our partnerships. These women are so honored to have their story shared because they have overcome hardship and are experiencing hope, dignity, and purpose through our partnership. On a recent trip to Ethiopia, Esther Havens (humanitarian photographer) and Lori...
October 2011
3 posts
Sneak Peak: Behind the Scenes of R+L...
Last week talented Christian Felice, Lori Fox, and Susan Chen shot the lookbook photos for the Raven + Lily Spring/Summer 2012 collection on a gorgeous ranch in Southern California. I can hardly wait to share these lovely new designs with you in the new year! Until then, enjoy a little behind the scenes sneak peak!
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Fair Trade Month
October is Fair Trade Month! That means its a great opportunity to support companies like Raven + Lily that focus on making sure the people who create their goods are honored and receive a fair, sustainable income for their work.
And in case you are wondering what “fair trade” really means, I thought I’d include the blurb from our website:
Fair Trade is a system of exchange...
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Interview with Our Lead Designer - Lori Fox
For the past 2 weeks, Lori, Sophia and I have been finalizing the Spring/Summer 2012 Collection, prepping for our next photoshoot, and brainstorming for Fall/Winter 2012! Its been a whirlwind of creative juices flowing, but one of my favorite aspects of Raven + Lily! I love seeing all the ideas come together!
As promised, I’m posting an interview with the Fantastic Miss Lori Fox (our lead...
September 2011
5 posts
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Crafting Bullet Casings into Beautiful Jewelry:...
(Before reading this post, be sure to read Part 1 from last week’s blog about hand crafting beads from bullets.)
There is a labor of love and history that goes into each and every bead in our designs.
We source beads, charms, and pendants from remote villages to create jewelry designs in partnership with a job training program that targets supporting HIV positive women. We strive to honor...
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Crafting Bullet Casings into Beautiful Jewelry:...
I love redemption stories. They remind us that there is hope and meaning even in life’s darkest moments. I also love finding ways to incorporate repurposed materials into our collections…taking what was considered waste and making it into something beautiful and valuable. Our Ethiopia Collection tells a very powerful redemptive story, and one of the most stunning examples of...
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Our Goods have arrived...volunteers + boxes...
After a month of waiting, our shipments from India and Ethiopia finally arrived last week! Our little studio was suddenly flooded with boxes!
Never fear! Many of my wonderful Austin friends came to the rescue to help us unpack and organize all the amazing goodies. It felt like Christmas!
And today another group of lovely ladies spent most their day helping me organize all our wholesale orders!...
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Why Women?
“No tool for development is more effective than the empowerment of women.” Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan
I’m often asked why we focus on women.
As an initial response, I always have to say that we love women and truly believe that each and every woman on this planet is valuable; however, many have not been given opportunity to thrive and know their value because of poverty and...
Win an Ella Necklace!
As we prepare to launch our online store, we decided to run a fun little contest. Post on our Facebook wall why you think empowering women is important + the best comment wins an ELLA NECKLACE! (We announce the winner once we reach 1600 “likes”.) I love this shot of the Ella!
Its totally fun to read some of the comments thus far! Many thanks to the ladies below for sharing:
Kim...
August 2011
9 posts
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Story of Amleset
Its a joy to share the redemptive stories of the women in our partnerships like Amleset from Ethiopia. When I met her for the first time 2 years ago, I remember how proud she was of the first designs we created together (including our popular Ella Necklace she proudly models below).
She and her husband are HIV positive, yet Amleset and her family are thriving because of the wholistic support...
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Austin Fashion Week
Its Austin Fashion week, and last night the historic Driskil Hotel was dripping with designers, fashionistas, and gorgeous gems for the Jewelry Showcase. We were thrilled to be able to introduce our Fall 2011 collection at such an occassion.
My dear friend Tiffany Schwedland made me a lovely tunic to wear to the event. She’s quite a talented designer, and I’ve always wanted her to...
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Behind the scenes with the Fantastic Miss Fox
I just discovered a series of photos of Lori Fox, our lead designer, during her last design trip to Ethiopia, Kenya, + India. I’m thrilled to share a glimpse of Lori through these behind the scenes shots taken by Esther Havens. Lori is one of the most talented, thoughtful, + creative people on the planet. Full of wonder + adventure, she’s the kind of gal that is a perfect travel...
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Conversation with Sophia Lin
When I agreed to start a blog for Raven + Lily, I knew I wanted to do an entry about my dear friend and co-founder Sophia Lin. She is a beautiful person to the core, and I wish everyone had a chance to know her like I do. I could never have made it through many trials in my life without her, and I could never have started Raven + Lily without her partnership and dedication. The overall look of...
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What it means to be a Social Business
As some of you might know, we started almost 3 years ago as a nonprofit in partnership with Tirzah International (formerly Women of Global Action). As we developed our partnerships in Africa and India, we began to see the need to grow and transition our company into a for-profit model for sustainability. After much research and discussion about the best business model for Raven + Lily, we landed...
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Uzma's Story
Every few weeks I’d like to introduce you to one of our artisans. They are the beautiful women behind the scenes who make all the Raven + Lily designs. This week, meet Uzma from North India. She is one of the many ladies who make our handmade notecards, and her story gives testimony to why I believe empowering women through design can really work!
Uzma says, “Here women can’t do...
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Voice for the Voiceless
“Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!” *
And when you do, you just might see the miracle of a life transformed. All these women were the “voiceless”...
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Doorways of Opportunity
Oh, the mysterious doorways of India! I am intrigued by the shapes and colors of these beautiful doors found throughout the city of our North India partnership.
Behind many of these doors are the hidden lives and stories of women who fear venturing out of their homes. Many of these women feel trapped by the closed doors of poverty and gender bias.
In another sense, these doors represent...
July 2011
5 posts
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The War Against Girls
Last month, the Wall Street Journal published this article:
The War Against Girls
I encourage you to read this article if you aren’t familiar with the issue of gender biased abortion, affecting millions of girls in countries like India and China. One of the reasons our family adopted a precious orphan girl from China was because so many babies are abandoned just for being a girl. She is...
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A Journey from Nonprofit to Social Business
Last week, I was in Portland with my husband visiting our dear friend, author Donald Miller. Portland was a great escape from the Austin heat, and being in Don’s loft gave me an inspiring place to slow down and reflect on the journey of Raven + Lily from a non-profit to a for-profit social business. In between coffee shops, long walks, and great conversation, we each dove into our creative...
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Considering Ravens + Lilies
I loved my time in Portland…cool mornings, lush trees, quaint shops, craftsman homes, and lots of ravens + lilies! Seriously, there were ravens and lilies everywhere. They acted as a constant reminder of why my partner Sophia and I founded Raven + Lily almost 3 years ago. We truly believe that each and every woman on this planet matters and deserves to thrive. We also love design and are...
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Fall/Winter Lookbook
Have you seen our 2011 Fall Lookbook yet? If not, now is the time to take a peak at our fabulous new collections…available for purchase when we launch our new online store mid August!
One of my favorite images from the new lookbook!
We are so grateful for Sophia Lin, co-founder + CCO, for the beautiful design and layout of our fall lookbook.
And many thanks to the...
Coming Soon!
New blog launches July 26th!
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