Once Upon A Time....

About a month ago Andraea and I started discussing the possibility of starting our own prom and bridal line. For those of you who aren't aware, Drae owns a bridal boutique and I work there a few days a week. We thought about the ramifications of starting a line- the dresses would, most likely, have to be produced in China. We had mixed feelings about this. We did not want to contribute to over-seas production, as well as, the exploitation of women workers. One night, after a conversation with Andraea's friend, Kelly Bryant, she called me and said, "I have an idea! What if we get these women in Cambodia- that have been rescued from human trafficking- to make these dresses!?" Turns out, Kelly had been on a mission trip to Cambodia. She told us about Rapha House. They offer a home and vocational skills to girls who have been rescued from abusive situations so they can provide for themselves and their families upon re-entering there society. Apparently, one of the life skills they teach is sewing. A few days later, Kelly hooksed us up with the guy who leads these mission trips to Cambodia- Chris Alexander. He started a nonprofit called The Center For Global Impact, which we will refer to as CGI. So, there we are, having coffee at Starbucks with Chris and Kelly, talking about making wedding dresses in Cambodia. Yes, weird, we know. It gets better. Chris took a sample dress from Andraea's store and some of my designs to Cambodia in March and he came back with an actual dress! So now, Andraea and I have tickets to Cambodia! We are leaving in July, with our husbands in tow and we are on our way to creating a line of fair-trade wedding gowns! We will keep you updated.... Nicole