When I opened up our newsletter last night I loved seeing this image of Carly Burson. She’s my beloved friend, and our featured guest for the Confident Spring Style GNO fashion show tomorrow night. Carly was actually our very first GNO featured guest in April of 2016, so it’s incredibly fitting that she’s back, three years later to share her beautiful story with us on the runway!
This picture embodies everything I know and love about Carly.
She’s the Founder and CEO of Tribe Alive, a sustainable fashion company based out of Fort Worth, dedicated to hiring at-risk women as a way to pull them out of poverty.
But it’s never been just a business plan, or a marketing ploy for Carly.
She’s on a mission to completely reform the fashion industry, because she cares SO deeply about humanity. As a result the work the she does is harder, it takes longer, and costs more. But Carly and her team at Tribe Alive are steadfast.
They are here for ALL of it.
When I first met her in 2015, she was in the initial throws of building this beautiful brand. I’ll never forget the day I drove to a coffee shop in Ft. Worth to meet Reagan and Carly. I was meeting them to discuss a partnership and I expected them to be a little stuffy, I have no idea why. But when I walked in, they both jumped up and gave me a hug. Much like the one in the image above. From that moment on, it’s been open arms, open hearts.
They’re my Fort Worth Sisters, and I look for ways to partner with them every chance I get.
You can read the first story I wrote about Carly here. In quick summary, Carly knew that adopting her first daughter Ellie would completely change her life. But she had no idea that it would change the trajectory of her work, and ultimately, the lives of women all around the globe. Carly was determined to be known for more than just her incredible mission. With a background in fashion retail, she knew she wanted to create a brand that would compete with top brands on aesthetic and quality.
“I loved the challenge of competing with brands that cause poverty through their production while our platform alleviates it. It’s our way of exposing the fact that you do not need to compromise the human factor of business in order to succeed.”
Tribe Alive employs artisan women from around the globe in places like Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti, India, and Fort Worth, but they do so much more than “employ” them. The entire company is build around truly empowering them. “At Tribe Alive we don’t believe in ‘give-back’ models. Often we’re asked what we ‘give’ our women, and each time our response is the same.
We don’t ‘give’ them anything. We simply offer them opportunity and they do the rest.
We are not content to ‘give a fish,’ or even to teach someone how to fish. We will not rest until we feel we have completely changed the fishing industry and inspire other businesses to think like us. The beauty of social entrepreneurs is that we offer new approaches to supporting women in the developing world. We create our own context by starting a business or a movement that addresses social problems in a creative and profitable way. We are not a non-profit or a charity or a handout. We’re simply a business utilizing our platform to provide women with life changing opportunity.
We strongly believe in a woman maintaining her dignity, and no woman has ever been empowered through a hand out.”
Carly and her team do incredible work to empower women through employment, and also through the design of their apparel and product lines. Tribe Alive clothing is modern, trendy, casual, and minimal. It’s got an air about it that screams comfortable, but stylish. Their desire is for you to feel just as confident that you look on trend and fabulous, as you do about making purchases that positively impact women who were born with less privilege than you.
That’s why I’m over-the-moon thrilled to bring their line to you on the runway at the Confident Spring Style GNO with the styling of Alison Lumbatis, showing us exactly how women like us can confidently pair any of their pieces in our everyday lives this spring and summer.
It’s about so much more than just clothing.
It’s about women showing up for each other, no matter what.
I know that’s why you’re here, reading this today.
Spread the word.
to more love,
Crystal
p.s. There are VERY few seats left for the show tomorrow night, if you’re considering joining us, don’t delay! Get yours now!
