A Combination of Beautiful Fashion, a Good Community, and an Impactful Cause
I remember this day like yesterday. May 21st, 2022 is the day we have been working for so hard for the last few weeks and months. Nights of long phone calls, sewing dresses for Sunmi the Designer, video calls with advisors and team members. It was 7am when the alarm went off. The minute we woke up the three of us knew it would be a great day. Last night Sunmi, Kim and I (the three of us are the visionaries of Craft by Jáde) finished sewing tote bags, ironing clothes for the merchandise table and packing goodie bags for the volunteers. I could feel the nerves in my legs when I got out of bed. We were getting ready to pack up the car with merchandise, bags, shoes and accessories for the fashion show. It was a beautiful day, and the three of us drove for a team Brunch to relax and to have a good start to the big day. French Toast and Breakfast and a Burrito got us the energy we needed for the day.
Arriving at AGAPE Church, which facility we were allowed to use, we started unpacking and building up the interior for the 70 guests we were expecting. The merchandize table outside and the mocktail table supported by “preferred bartending” was a great refreshment and looked welcoming and charming.
The first models came for their hair appointments around 12pm and the facility started to get busier with every minute. The mock show started at 4pm and things started to look the way we imagined.
The first guests started to come around 5pm. Sunmi as the designer was getting the models ready for the runway and Kim was doing a practice run for the story telling dance while I was welcoming the guests and leading them to the mocktail table. At 5:30 pm the doors opened and everyone took a seat and waited excitedly for the show. The show started with an introduction of our cause, followed by the inspiration of the clothing collection KAVOD. Craft by Jade is a 501 © (3) non-profit organization, bridging the opportunity gap. We acknowledge our privilege and we want to use this privilege to help the underprivileged. The developmental programs in Nigeria and Zimbabwe are our cause to serve people. In Nigeria we are focusing on family development. In Zimbabwe we are helping kids to have the opportunity to play tennis by supplying them with equipment and coaching lessons. Tennis is a way to get education through athletic scholarships. As student-athletes ourselves for CalPoly , Kim and I found it important to keep and use the connections we have for other children's advantage . Kim who was born in Zimbabwe has the privilege to be able to play tennis and to go to a Tennis Academy where her talent was supported. In 2018 she was able to get a full scholarship for her bachelors and masters degree at CalPoly.
Therefore, we want more kids to have this opportunity. The other program for Zimbabwe will be the creation of employment for Zimbabwean seamstresses by moving our Fashion production to Zimbabwe.
Kim surprised with an amazing dance performance together with Desmond and three children who were excited to be part of the Fashion Show. Everyone got really excited to see the models presenting the new Collection ABBA (Father in Hebrew), made by Sunmisola. She has a huge passion for Design and Fashion and shows all of her love in these clothes.
I could see the excited and amazed faces all around in the room. The models did an amazing job of presenting each dress in an individualized and owned way. So much beauty at once in one room.
The show closed with a big thank you to the attendees, volunteers and models. The feedback we got was positive and motivating to push forward with our process and mission. The first orders came in on the next day at 12pm when we announced open sales on the website. The Fashionshow was Craft by Jádes' first event and we are driven to plan more for the following Collections.