Abi Ferrin for Freedom

From the visually rich setting of a Nepal village to the bolstering street of an American city, the team of women behind Abi Ferrin, seek not only to dress women but also to empower them. The idea was born through the vision of Abi's sister, Kelly who has dedicated her life to humanitarian efforts worldwide focusing primarily on persecuted women and children. The sisters thought that it would be effective to create a model for capitalistic ventures to support various organizations by commissioning them to create an aspect of the Abi Ferrin product, with the hopes to eventually introduce this concept to other manufacturers. In 2006 the Abi Ferrin team began a design collaboration with Erika Everett, former designer of Everett Parker, along with a non-profit organization in an impoverished region of Nepal called Guardian Village Handcrafts. This organization in a healthy environment, focuses on providing oppressed women with; training, fair pay, food and shelter for their work. The micro-businesses that are created due to this training also fund foster care and quality education for children rescued from slavery, women and children rescued from prostitution, and other abusive environments. Ferrin and Everett sought to incorporate elements into their garments with culturally specific design lines and adornments. The Texas CBS News recently did a special report on the collaboration, and Abi's personal journey through this process.

As a team of women, Abi Ferrin, seeks to provide their customer with a chance to feel and look their best, and see this as an opportunity to take their passion for freedom and clothing to another level. Not only do the custom made adornments add an authentic value to the collection, but they also provide both an intrinsic satisfaction and a conversational element to the wearer, knowing that each button and toggle were purchased to support a cause greater than mere aesthetics. This is an avenue that opens the door for the consumer to invest in more than great fashion. "We hope that the cultural details woven into the collection, coupled with the information we provide about the program, will ignite an awareness of global issues. To the Abi Ferrin customer, this should provide an added satisfaction for contributing to a greater cause. To our friends in Nepal, this will provide much needed help and support."

For the Abi Ferrin line in 2007, we will continue our collaboration with Guardian Village in Nepal as our primary venture. Through Kelly Ferrin's recent involvement with the orphan rescue organization Vision Trust, visiontrust.org, we also hope to expand our abilities for global involvement as our resources become broader through the support of consumers who understand this fashionable calling!