What a Year!

Truly 2012 was an incredible year.   We can look back over this past year with deep gratitude for all the growth, accomplishments, and people involved in helping to make our dream to empower women through design a success!  I thought it would be fun take a quick journey through the year’s highlights: 

The “Fantastic Lori Fox” joined the Raven + Lily team as our lead designer.  Moving from the heart of LA to the heart of TX, Lori has done an incredible job overseeing our collections handmade by our partnerships around the world!

We started receiving some wonderful PR including Fast Company, Good Housekeeping, People’s Stylewatch, Redbook, Glamour, Women’s Health, and tons more.  

Austin Fashion week gave us the “Golden Boot” in recognition for being a “rising star” in the fashion world!

We launched our newest partnerships supporting HIV+ women in CAMBODIA (pic: Sophia and I visiting the families of the artisans that make our new hand-loomed bags and eco-friendly tees)…

and hand-loomed and hand knit scarves empowering women in ETHIOPIA (pic: modeling our hand-knit scarves while visiting beautiful “Desta Mender”, the rehab center for women recovering from fistula)…

and locally supporting refugees in AUSTIN (pic: Rachel and I modeling our infinity scarves made from designer remnants)…

and finally partnering with formerly homeless women in LOS ANGELES (pic: our lovely hand-poured soy candles).  So grateful to be part of the redemptive stories happening in all these women’s lives.

This past fall, our very first Ambassador Design trip was a huge success, and we’ll soon be launching the S/S lookbook and video connected to our wonderful adventures together in Africa.  

Receiving the Classy Award for “Philanthropic Business of the Year” was definitely the icing on the cake for 2012. What a joy to accept the award in honor of all the amazing women around the world that make our designs!

Overall, it was indeed a wonderful year filled with opportunities to trust God to provide and then many opportunities to give Him thanks for doing so.  Thank you for being part of our journey through your support, encouragement, and purchases.  We can hardly wait to see what unfolds for 2013 (and we can hardly wait to share all the new collections….so beautiful, just like the women who made them.)

Here’s to a new year and new opportunities to see more women break the cycle of poverty and thrive!