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 loved sharing lunch together…each lady brings a dish to share on a daily basis.  Such a sweet way to form community.

We were so impressed with their inspiration boards for their local collection, and it was amazing that they were inspired by many of the same colors and ideas as Raven + Lily!

They have a wonderful local store that caters to the expat community.  Rachel is the founder of Keok’ Jay, and she’s been here almost 4 years investing in the lives of these women through her social design business. 

Yesterday we spent time going to the markets to sort through remnant fabrics for our new collection!  

The mounds of fabric were endless…with a few surprises along the way (I promise he’s just sleeping).

The last room was filled to the brim with treasures.  Our new t-shirt collection will be made from natural died jersey remnants.

Our tote bags, clutches, and home collection will be made from beautiful natural dyed hand loomed fabrics….my personal favorite type of fabric.  This is just a little sneak peak photo for you.

I just know you are going to love this collection, and I know you’ll love hearing the stories of these amazing women….but you’ll have to wait till Fall.  But never fear, our newest designs for our Spring 2012 collection launch soon.  We’re so excited to share those with you.

Heading out the door to jump on a “tuk tuk”…our choice of transportation in Cambodia. Why don’t we have these in the states?  Amazing that 6 monks could fit in one!

Have a lovely day and stayed tuned for more updates on our adventure….Angkor Wat here we come!

Blessings from “The Charming City,”

Kirsten

Crafting Bullet Casings into Beautiful Jewelry: Part 1

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 up-cycling I know.

In the rural regions of Ethiopia, farmers gather empty bullet casings found in their fields.These bullet casings are reminders of the many conflicts Ethiopia faced in the 20th century. 

In nearby villages, families continue to practice the art of bead making utilizing artisan skills passed down through generations.  Since resources are scarce in such a poor country, the villagers buy the empty bullet casings from the farmers to make their amazing hand crafted beads and charms.

Over crude hot coals, the bullets are melted and then poured into thin rods of brass or copper metal.

The metal is then hammered into thin sheets, cut into strips, and formed into beads…one by one.  The amount of work that goes into each bead is absolutely stunning.

The beads are next strung and dipped into a lime solution that brings out the shine of the brass and copper.

To achieve the silver beads, vintage silver coins are cut in half and the beads are dipped into another solution of the melted coin to create a silver coating.

Finally, the beads are washed, scrubbed, and hung to dry.

Esther Haven’s photos truly capture the labor of love that goes into each bead in our collection.  I cherish the imperfect beauty of these beads. Some extra shiny and smooth.  Some a little rough around the edges.  Each unique.  Each lovely.

(Stayed tuned for Part 2…the story of the HIV positive women who create the Raven + Lily designs made from these incredible up-cycled beads.)