5 Reasons To Attend free fab’rik Charity Fashion Event

Set your calendars, because the third annual free fab’rikCharity Fashion Event is coming up on June 5th at the AmericasMart and you do not want to miss out.

free fab’rik is a non-profit organization that’s mission is to restore dignity and hope to young ladies who have lost theirs. All of the proceeds from the charity fashion event go to helping young women in need with free shopping sprees, opening more free fab’rik stores, supporting the mentorship program and helping secure job placement after finishing the program.

Here are five reasons why you must buy your tickets today!

Reason #1: It’s a great cause to support.

The charity fashion event on June 5, 2014, is a night filled with fashion, philanthropy and fun! You will see great clothes, hear the stories behind the amazing and inspiring free fab’rik ladies, and see them walk the runway in the show. Their walk will celebrate the completion of the 6-month program.

Reason #2: Like we said, it’s a night of fashion.

One thing that brings the fab’rik community together is celebrating fantastic style, clothes and perhaps, having a few cocktails. Check out the latest looks from fab’rik’s Asher Collection on the runway. There will be a fab’rik lounge open to shop the looks you love that night. Additionally, a $25 donation will give you access to the Jewelry wall which features hundreds of statement necklaces to choose from.

Reason #3: A perfect excuse for a GNO (Girls Night Out).

The free fab’rik Charity Fashion Event is the perfect excuse to get dressed up at AmericasMart Atlanta and enjoy a night of fun. Not to mention, a perfect company team building night… Purchase the World Traveler package for $1000 and you will receive a VIP table for 10, a luxe gift bag and fab’rik discount cards and AmericasMart passes. Other ticket levels include the Jet Setter for $100 and the Road Tripper for a $50 ticket.

To purchase your tickets, please visit: http://www.fabrikstyle.com/charity/charity-fashion-show-tickets

Reason #4: You could win big!

And by big, we mean BIG.

Purchase a $100 raffle ticket and be entered for a chance to win a franchise fee ($35,000) on own a fab’rik boutique!  You don’t have to be present to win the raffle drawing.

Or, purchase a raffle ticket at the event for $20 and be entered to win a $2,000 shopping spree at fab’rik! Just imagine all of the clothing possibilities.  

Reason #5: Be the first to know about an exclusive fab’rik reveal.

During the free fab’rik Charity Fashion Event, we will be making an exciting fab’rik reveal. Be the first to know. Trust us, this is too good to miss out.  

From Purpose to Passion...

The fab'rik mission statement is simple: High Style with Heart, No Attitude or Sticker Shock.

In our boutiques, we pride ourselves on offering first class customer service to each and every customer. We want to have the cutest, trendiest clothes you can find, all under $100. We want to make sure each shopper leaves the store feeling a little more beautiful than when she walked in.

Outside of the store is where we let our hearts shine.  In 2009, fab'rik CEO Dana Spinola teamed up with a friend, Kim Bartlett, to start our free fab'rik charity.  free fab'rik offers young women the opportunity to shop in a boutique setting without the pressure of a price tag, all while being surrounded by positive influences and fun mentor relationships with the volunteers who help out at the free sprees.

While the charity was immediately a smashing success, Dana wanted to do more.  In January 2013, a group from the fab'rik management team went to visit the village of Karagoto, Kenya and forged lifelong friendships with the women in their local knitting facility.  We brought back their scarves to sell in our stores and plan on returning annually to help out in their incredible community.

We're not stopping there though, and we couldn't be thrilled to share the next chapter of fab'rik with our fab'rik addicts, family, and supporters.  Coming this October, the former fab'rik Midtown store will become the first ever free fab'rik Community Boutique.  This boutique will have donated clothing from the community for sale, with all profits going back into the free fab'rik organization. In addition, the Community Boutique will be used as a gathering place for the free sprees that free fab'rik started with, small group meetings, community dinners, and speakers for the ladies in the mentorship program.

Read this letter from our CEO for a little more info...

Our community boutique’s mission is to restore dignity, confidence and hope to young ladies who have lost theirs by helping them discover God’s will for their lives through mentorship programs, job opportunities and free shopping sprees.

And now, fab'rik family, we need your help! We are hiring not only a Community Boutique manager, but are looking for strong women with exceptional values and huge hearts to volunteer as mentors for the incredible young women who will be benefiting from the program.  The free fab’rik volunteer mentor is a caring, responsible, adult woman who serves as a trusted friend and guide to one mentorship participant. Her role is to encourage, support and advise the mentee to make positive life choices and to help provide guidance for the mentee to grow personally, professionally and spiritually.

If you are interested in contributing to the next chapter of fab'rik, we want to hear from you! We are accepting clothing donations at all fab'rik locations.  If you are interested in making a monetary donation, check out the free fab'rik website.

If you would like to apply for the Boutique Manager or Mentor positions, please send an email to dana@fabrikatlanta.com with your interests! Thank you in advance for helping so many dreams come true.

New Line: FashionABLE

We are so excited to now be carrying a new line of scarves: fashionABLE.

We are so excited to support their mission & are passionate about continuing to support communities in Africa!

fashionABLE's commitment: 

Your purchase of a fashionABLE scarf creates sustainable business in Africa.  We are committed to long-term solutions to fighting poverty, and our main focus is creating opportunities for vulnerable women.  That means that your purchase of a scarf creates jobs, so that the women are not dependent upon charity, but instead are a vital part of a developing economy.

So our strategy is two-fold.  We work with women to help them start small business cooperatives, and we partner with and require manufacturers to also employ women with fair wages & fair hiring practices.

Video: Kenya Pictures

Enjoy :) 

Kenya: Our CEO's Perspective

You know when you feel like you are exactly were you are suppose to be? I felt that in Africa last week and just felt led to share this with you all. I know life is very busy and understand if you don't have a minute to read this now but hope sometime you can read back through it because I felt led to write it. I think everyone has expectations of what a mission trip will be like, who you will meet, what you will bring to the people who need you and how they will change you forever....this trip to Kenya exceeded any expectations that I could have imagined. Traveling with some of my favorite people in this world, I knew this trip would be special but I have to say, I had no idea it would blow my mind and explode my faith like it did...and that fab'rik would develop a relationship with this village that would last way beyond this trip.

HERE IS THE SHORT VERSION....
We went to Karagoto, Kenya and met some of the hardest working, faithful women that I think God describes as the proverbs 31 woman. We met children whose smiles lit up with the simple sight of us, who had only read about white people in books. We met a lot of men that had given up in a place where little is opportunity. It is a community eager to grow, praying for leaders and full of hope. The first morning I asked our team to pray about how fab'rik could make a difference in the lives of these beautiful people, how our charity and this community could come together...and a few days later our prayer was answered. We developed a relationship with the women and after watching them knit scarves all week, we decided to place an order for our stores, God willing, the first of many orders and trips to Karagoto. Throughout the week we watched the vision come to life. I watched my fab'rik friends open up their hearts to people that need us, invest long term and create opportunity in a place that desperately needs it. My team is amazing and I am so proud to have experienced this with them....and can't wait until next year!

HERE IS THE LONG VERSION....
We arrived in Nairobi and the first thing our driver, Abraham, told us was "We have been praying for you to come, we love you, we love you, we love you, if there was a greater word than love, I would use it." It set the tone for the entire trip. The first thing we did was go on a walk down to the village waterfall to see where they would get there water not long ago before 410 bridge helped create the water project, the walk was so hard and women were doing this up to 6 times a day to walk 3-5km back and forth to their homes. This is when I started to see what an impact we could have, the gratefulness in their eyes as they described how the new water system had changed their lives and that they thanked God that we came to help them. The concept of 410 bridge is not to give a man a fish but teach a man to fish so they create these plans (knitting facility, water systems, etc) but have the community dig the trenches for the water pipes and really learn how it works so they own it. It really works and it was an honor to be a part of.

The days were amazing, we got to go to their church, led bible study, spent a day in the life of a family, go to the children's school and walk through the classrooms, knit with the women, rake the rocks and pour concrete in the new knitting facility, meditate on top of Tumutumu Hill and simply just be with the people in the community. We talked to a man named Patrick who delivered food from village to village. We asked him "what do you think about Americans" He said that he thinks we are a superpower and we asked if he thought we used our power for good? He smiled and said "YES you work hard in America, then come and spend your time and money to help people like us. Your dollar even says in God we trust. We love you." It was inspiring and reminded me of the responsibility we have having so much like we do.

The part of this trip that has changed me the most is just seeing God work through us so clearly and brilliantly. The first day we went to the knitting facility there was no work to be done, the knitting machines were not being used except to show us how they worked. But the day we were leaving, there was so much work to be done on our orders the women and machines were spilling into the grass outside the facility. The loud humming of the busy machines was so exciting, the facility was alive with pride and hope. We did a little math and realized if 1 scarf feeds a family of 5 one night then what could an entire order do? What would an ongoing relationship do? What would the feeling of accomplishment and being able to provide for their family do for these women, this community? Before we left, one of the knitting women-Paris- prayed for us and thanked us for our orders, she said they would have a "heavy supper" because of us. That is making a difference, a real difference and once you feel that feeling you are never the same. To me, that is God's will for my life this week in Africa I was at totally at peace.

In Karagoto, Hakuna Matata is not just a song from the Lion King, it is a way of life-no worries-in a place where is there is much to worry about, people find peace in knowing there are people like us out there who love them and will hold them up when they are weak and sing with them, dance with them and never give up on them. I am so grateful to all of you who supported this trip, prayed for us and followed our journey. I believe it was magical for everyone involved. Thank you so much.... 

xoxo

Dana Spinola

Safari & Kwaheri: Goodbye

We can't even begin to believe that our trip has come to an end. We spent our last 2 days outside of Karogoto and experiencing new things during our trip. We stopped at a market place on the way to the safari resort we were staying at and had the opportunity to purchase souvenirs for our loved ones! A few hours later, we were told that we were crossing the equator! Which lead to a photo-opportunity and a really cool moment for all of us!
We finally made it to Sweet Waters and couldn't believe how insanely amazing this place was! We recommend it to anyone! Great food, amazing views, you sleep in tents & are on the reserve and have animals all over!! We took a drive upon arrival to scope out the animals. We saw everything from giraffes, zebras, impalas, antelopes, water backs, various birds, rhinos, & a variety of apes! We then returned to the resort to relax & have an amazing dinner! Then the majority of the group wen on a night drive and had a chance to see lions! We were all squealing like little kids-- definitely an experience we'll never forget!
The next morning most of us woke up early to watch the sunrise over Mount Kenya & then we headed out on a morning drive with a mission: to find an elephant! We drove around for about an hour & saw a lot of repeats from the animals we had seen the day before.. and then just as we were heading back for breakfast/packing we spotted a lone elephant! Such a cherry on top from the overall awesome experience!
After breakfast, we started making the trek back to Nairobi & inched our way closer to the airport. We made multiple stops along the way: another market place, a Kazuri bead factory, & a shopping center for coffee & tea.
Around 6pm last night we made it to the Nairobi airport & said our tearful goodbyes to our amazing 410 Bridge leader, Stacy, our Karogoto leader Pastor James & our sweet driver Patrick. We are all in awe of the connection we've made with Karogoto & are already all planning when we'll be going back.

This was a trip of a lifetime, one we will never forget. We are so grateful to our friends, families, customers, donors & vendors who have supported us through our journey!

Thank you for keeping track of us on the blog.. We'll have many more pictures & videos to come! Stay tuned!!

Hakuna Matata: No Worries

Hakuna Matata = not just a song from one of our favorite Disney movies!  Yes, it means no worries, but here in Kenya, Hakuna Matata is a way of life.  We learned this the very first day when it took us way longer than expected to travel from Nairobi to Karogoto and have been trying to live with no worries ever since.

Today was an incredible, laid back day spent in the community.  Our group spent time between construction at the new knitting facility and bonding with our friends working at the old knitting facility.  We placed a rather large order so we could take their homemade scarves back to our loved ones and when we arrived they were very hard at work.  What would have been a very stressful task to most of us was just another joyful day for them.

After a picnic lunch, we took a hike up Tumutumu hill with the town pastors to take in the beautiful view, meditate, and pray for this small community we've come to love so much.  It was a very spiritual moment for everyone and a great way to end this portion of our trip.

We have become so attached to the children of Karogoto that we made one final stop to the school to say farewell.  When they saw our bus, the kids came running and screaming out of their classrooms - we felt like rockstars. We hugged, sang, and took tons of pics so we could always remember them.  After the school visit, it was back to the community to say our last goodbyes.  We couldn't believe our time with them was over, but we know that we'll be back again some day.  After a few teary hugs, it was back on the bus to head to our hotel and prep for the next leg of our journey: SAFARI.

Rafiki: Friend

Another amazing day is complete! Today we really focused on building relationships with the people of the community-- & while that has always been our main priority as well as 410 Bridge's mission, today was a day dedicated to spending time with the people of Karogoto.
Some of us helped with the construction of the new knitting facility, others learned from & helped the women in the knitting factory as we all placed orders this morning for various items. A group even had the chance to meet with the head choir instructor, who in his 63 years has traveled & studied all over the world & shared stories of his travels.
After lunch we all got together and played volleyball while some of the community members, chatted with children, etc. In the afternoon we headed down to one of the local schools for an awesome experience of playing games & getting to know over 200 students! They were such a treat to be around, singing, playing soccer, dancing, & playing games.
Such a fun day making new friends!

Nyumbani: Home

Another incredible day in our journey... We were given the unique opportunity to 'live a day in the life' with the people of Karogoto. We were split back up in our 5 groups of three and each taken to a different home within the community to experience their daily tasks, meals, habits, chores, & surroundings. We all had the same feeling of, 'this is unbelievable'. Not only was it unbelievable to us that there are people in the world who live in these types of conditions but it was also unbelievable that they would invite us into their homes, so eager to share their lives with us. 

Here are some of the tasks many of us took part in:

Gardening

Feeding livestock

Milking cows

Washing clothes

Preparing traditional meals

Drinking chai tea

Chopping wood / leaves

Gathering fruit

Visiting local schools

Visiting the local coffee factory

Bathing babies

Washing dishes

& the list goes on....

We all had parallel experiences & interactions with our individual families. When we came back together after the day only one thing was left for debate, "Who had the most amazing day?" We could have each argued our point for hours but we all knew that our personal experiences were special to us & that those we had the privilege of 'living' with that day have left imprints on our hearts for the rest of our lives.

Some of our pictures from today are here.

Yu mwema: God is Good

Today we had the privilege of  attending five Kenyan churches. We divided ourselves into groups of 3 & each had different but equally moving experiences. Some of us attended Swahili language services, some were translated in English, some congregations were large, others were much smaller. However, the common thread of each church service was the presence of extreme joy. Inhibitions were thrown to the wind as we danced in the aisles, sang at the top of our lungs & smiled until our cheeks hurt while we continued to get to know our Kenyan brothers & sisters. Some of the members of our group had the opportunity to lead parts of their service by sharing anecdotes, Bible verses, & songs. It.was.incredible.

After taking a short break for lunch, we then split up into 3 groups for ministry with women, men & children. We heard in our debrief tonight that the men of Kenya are concerned with their future as there is a lack of employment opportunities for them. The men in our group encouraged them to be leaders for their family & to have faith. Those who were partnered with the women’s group found that our lives as women have many more parallels than we had expected. They were able to talk through the struggles of being a working woman & how to prioritize family & faith over daily distractions. We then had four brave souls who volunteered to minister the youth – which ended up being over 60 children. They played multiple games, made cards for their loved ones, sang songs & played soccer in the middle of the community.

We all left today in awe of how amazing this experience truly has been & will continue to be for all of us. No language barrier was strong enough to take precedence over the connections & bonds we all made today.

Please, enjoy some of our pictures from today :) 

xoxo

Karibo: Welcome

Hello friends, family, & loyal customers! We are having some difficulty uploading pictures onto blogger, so if you would like to see some of the pictures we've taken thus far, be sure to check out our Facebook album :)

We woke up this morning at the West Breeze hotel and had a delicious breakfast of mangos, pancakes, & coffee, prior to heading to Karogoto. Just when we think we're out of Atlanta & away from crazy traffic, we find ourselves gridlocked in the Nairobi streets. What was expected to be a 2 hour transit, quickly turned into a 4 hour one, when one of the main roads was under construction. Because of the detour we had an awesome experience of driving through what Ally calls the "Hollywood Hills of Kenya". While we were able to see some amazing properties interlaced in the beautiful landscape, the backdrop suddenly changed. These areas quickly turned into much more impoverished areas but the common thread was the smiles of the Kenyan people welcoming us.

When we arrived in Karogoto we were greeted with open arms & big hearts. Pastor James introduced us to the women who work in the knitting factory, where we were privileged to knitting lessons & getting to know the women. When it came down to formal introductions we realized that were missing a member of our group, Jamey. We continued with our fellowship while Cameron went on a search for Jamey. A few minutes later, the two of them came back with children draped over their bodies. The little boys of the village instantly fell in love with them -- it was a precious site & a prelude for what the rest of our afternoon would be like.

A local Pastor, Steven, took us on a tour of how 410 Bridge has helped the community ameliorate their water resources. We went on a walk down to a waterfall where we were explained how they collect water & how they will be able to provide plumbing to the new knitting facility that is still being built. We were able to go check out the progress of the new factory & get a great glimpse of what this village has to look forward to.

Shortly thereafter, we said our goodbyes to everyone for the day we realized how excited we are to spend the rest of the week with by far the most gracious & welcoming group of individuals. Although we're physically exhausted, our minds are raising at the thought of what's to come this week!

Safe & Sound

Our team has made it safely to Nairobi, Kenya!

We are safe & sound after their long trip! We couldn't be more excited to drive into Karogoto tomorrow  & finally be a part of the community!

Thank you to all of you who are praying for us & thinking about us! We are so blessed to have this opportunity & can't wait to share our journey with you!

xoxo

Checking in: Atlanta airport

Snack in Amsterdam airport

Snack in Amsterdam airport

Ally & her new Kenyan friend, Steve

Our plane to Nairobi

Nairobi airport

Cameron & Angelo getting their paperwork squared away!

Our ride for the week!