As we embark on ‘A Season of Intent,’ I want to highlight some of our guiding principles for the season that we hope will benefit ourselves, loved ones, and the global community. ✨
What does it mean to gift thoughtfully? To me, thoughtful gifting entails consideration of my loved ones, myself, and our global community. It means less is more, quality over quantity, and aligning my dollars with brands that reflect my values.
A lesson we’ve all learned in 2020 is that we are so connected and our actions impact one another. As you consider your holiday shopping this year, I want to invite you to shop where you can have a positive impact.
Shop women-owned, black-owned, small businesses. Shop with brands that are producing their goods ethically and sustainably...where your purchase goes beyond the product.
I like to call this kind of impactful shopping a triple win - a win for the gift recipient, a win for the small business owner, and a win for the global community.
I want to invite us all to shop this purpose this holiday season. From the many conversations I’ve had with women lately, it seems like we don’t desire more “stuff” to fill our closets and homes. But we are looking for special pieces that bring us joy and make us feel like ourselves. Rather than feel burdened to buy more and more, let’s feel empowered to shop with purpose.
That might mean purchasing items with a higher price tag that will last for years (price per wear is something to consider). It might mean shopping with brands that have a purpose themselves...brands that align with your values.
Shop for items that bring you and your loved ones joy and meaning...and that lets them (and ourselves) know that we are in this life together.
I knew that I couldn’t claim to be a “people-first” ethical design company without having an emphasis on sustainable manufacturing practices. How could we say that we wanted to lead with purpose when choosing our artisan partners while simultaneously producing products that aren’t caring for their planet?
Seeing the detriment that fast fashion has had on our ecosystems is exactly why we’ve made it our mission to showcase that sustainability and luxury can, and should, coexist. Working with partners who share our vision has allowed us to cultivate a supply chain that is focused on locally, ethically and sustainably sourced materials. We’ve chosen to utilize recycled brass for our jewelry collections and vegetable tanned leather for our handbags that serves as a byproduct of the meat industry not only because we believe the materials are beautiful, but we believe they are a gentler option for our environment.
We design our products with the intent that you'll be carrying your bag or wearing your cuff for years to come. The mindset of investing in high quality pieces that will last a long time as opposed to buying new each season is essential to the sustainability conversation and to the prosperity of our communities. We look forward to seeing how you wear your ABBY ALLEY for years to come!
This *season of intent* principal might be my fondest; certainly the most rooted in our core ideals as a brand. We’ve established ourselves as a people-first, planet-focused fashion company because we believe we have a responsibility as conscious consumers to know better and therefore do better.
Our people-over-product approach stems from our belief that our stories are all woven together in ways we’ll never know. That as humans, we share the same hopes, dreams and desires for ourselves and our loved ones. We’ve chosen our particular artisan partners in East Africa because of their commitment to supporting their employees with a fair, equitable wage distribution. A beautiful handbag becomes even more beautiful when you know it was ethically made by a small, family-run business in Kenya focused on sustaining the lives of dozens of members of their community.
What a wonderful opportunity this season to purchase a product that makes a promise for a better future.