We're excited about all of the new skirts available through our online store!  Check it out!!  store.niviempowerment.com  "Like us" on Facebook and receive a 40% discount on your order.  (Enter "Empowerment" at check out.)  


Prefer seeing them in person?  We would love to do an individual showing or a house party.  Let us know by emailing us at info@niviempowerment.com.


Custom orders are also an option.  Here is some of the fabric we've had in the past...

Cotton

Saris

Email us with any questions on customizing your skirt and we'll get right back to you.  info@niviempowerment.com

Brambles Boutique

We're excited to have skirts with Brambles Boutique.  Drop by soon to check them out!  959 South State Provo, UT 84606

SLCC Fashion Institute

So, lots of exciting things to write about - but before I do - I suppose those of you who have been involved with Nivi and/or followed the blog may wonder who I am and why I'm writing...  My name is Kristy Cunningham.  I was lucky enough sometime last July/August to meet Brett and hear about his idea for Nivi.  I loved it.  Who wouldn't?  So, I've pestered for details since then, put in my two cents when asked and...(admittedly) sometimes when I haven't been asked.  A couple months ago I jumped into a sales role for Nivi and am now contributing in other areas - one of which is the blog - so, you'll hear more from me.

Moving on to the exciting news for the day, Brett and I got to meet with Mojdeh Sakaki, Program Director for the Fashion Institute, and one of two students, Sandrine Kloepfer, who will be working on design ideas for Nivi.  We are so excited to work with them!!  And, are excited to meet Rachelle, the other student on the team.  Mojdeh and Sandrine had great ideas for the skirts.  We can't wait to see the final results!  (Which, will be posted on our blog and website - so check back often.)  In the meantime, we will likely get the benefit of several blog posts written directly by Mojdeh, Sandrine and Rachelle on their roles and some of the process in getting to the final designs.  Other than just meeting with Mojdeh and Sandrine and seeing how talented they are, one of my favorite parts of the afternoon was just watching/hearing their reactions to Brett's whole purpose for the company.  It's fun to be reminded of what an incredibly insightful idea Nivi is based on - and that it's already changing lives - both in India and the U.S.

Look forward to more posts on our partnership with the Fashion Institute, new designs, new fabrics, our photograpers and the people whose lives this is impacting.

 Left to right:  Brett, Mojdeh, Sandrine, Kristy

In the center:  Dress designed by (and I understand, the winning piece) Sandrine, Rachelle and two other students for Sundance Film Festival's Locals Take Back!  See it on the model at: http://www.inthisweek.com/view.php?id=2118908.

Updated website

The Nivi Empowerment website has been updated. It's a beta version, so let us know your thoughts. NiviEmpowerment.com.

Thanks to Braden for the help on the webdesign, and Rosalyn and Matt for the pictures that are mainly on the storefront. These people are great to work with, so contact them if you need pictures or webdesign.

Braden - bcywd@yahoo.com
Rosalyn - rosalynirenephoto.com
Matt - mattirvingphotography.com

Skis for a good cause.

The Super 7 is the ski to have this year. Everybody raves about them. Ski shops can't keep them in stock. And thanks to Rossignol's warranty, I had a pair of them show up on my doorstep a couple months ago to replace the Rossy Steeze that blew up on me last year. I was stoked.

But when I was honest with myself, I didn't NEED the skis. And it would be really nice to throw some more money into Nivi Empowerment. I finally, reluctantly, put them up for sale.

A guy emailed me about them and I noticed that his email was from Welikesmall.com. Ever heard of them? I hadn't. I looked them up and found that they are one of the best digital design consulting companies in the world and are located in Salt Lake City. I proposed a trade: the skis for some internet marketing work. He said that he would prefer to buy the skis, but maybe he could do some pro bono work for Nivi Empowerment.

I met with the guy and he bought the skis. His name is Mike, the president of Welikesmall.com. Really nice guy, great at what he does, and he loves the idea of Nivi Empowerment and wants to help out.

What does this mean for Nivi Empowerment Initiative? Good things. It means that we can reach more customers, sell more product, hire people to help in India, and ultimately change more lives. We are stoked to have his help.

You (yes, you) can help too. Search for Nivi Empowerment Initiative on Facebook and become a fan. Tell your friends about us. And send us suggestions at info@niviempowerment.com.

It is almost here...

We have been working hard getting the product just right, meeting legal requirements, getting feedback on the project, etc, etc. We also had a photo shoot a couple days ago.

Many thanks to Matt for taking great pictures, James for setup and consulting, to April, Carrie, Jenny, Katherine, Kathleen, and Stephanie for modeling the skirts, scarves, and headbands.

And now, the website is almost ready to launch. Watch for an internet store to be added to NiviEmpowerment.com in the next couple days.

Thanks everyone for your support. Send any feedback to info@niviempowerment.com. We'd love to hear from you.

skirt pictures

Alice Mary, Rebekha, and Susan are pretty excited. Nickesh was telling me that they are sewing well, becoming best friends, and happy to know that the skirts are selling. We have got a lot of positive feedback on the skirts, and also have some bags and scarves coming in next week. Things are rolling.

We did a little photo shoot earlier in the week and got some quick shots thanks to Jen and Ashli. Below are some pictures of the skirts.















Thanks, everybody, for your support. Nivi Empowerment Initiative is lucky to have so much help from so many great people. Keep it coming.

back

The trip was a great success. Things went way better than they should have, thanks in large part to the amazing people that we are working with. Initial reactions to the products have been very encouraging and we are going to get a couple events going on to get more input and sell the 40-some-odd skirts that we brought back. Stay tuned...

We are working with three of the most amazing ladies, Alice Mary, Rebekha, and Susan. We originally had five, but one lived too far away and didn't need the help, and the other had a husband that wouldn’t stand for his wife to earn money. He thought that his family should be able to live off what he earned. That made me sad, because the husband was on a power trip while that family definitely needed more income to provide for their needs. They live in a small, thatched roof shack that isn’t constructed as well as many goat sheds. The lady has good sewing abilities, loves to sew, and could do a great job of helping the family come out of poverty. She was excited to work with us, but declined to do so, saying that her husband would probably get angry and ruin the sewing machine. Perhaps the husband will reconsider after some time, and after he sees the success of others. I hope so.

The ladies that we were working with were chosen because they had some sewing experience, but mainly because they were good workers. They needed some help in life, and we needed their abilities. They come up with solutions to problems on their own, and this bag is proof. We asked them to make a couple sample bags really quickly for us. I was thinking a simple square bag, but this is what the team of Alice Mary and Rebekha (neighbors and best friends) threw together...



Do you like it? Comment on this post. Post up something random and eloquent, or just a simple “like” (as is done on facebook to express approval) and win the bag - the first bag ever to wear a Nivi Empowerment Initiative Logo. Handmade and designed by Rebekha and Alice Mary.

Other pictures...

Working up some samples for the tags. They took pretty long to get done and it put us in a time crunch. The guy ended up printing 2500 tags for us on paper that we didn't want. Nickesh couldn't stop laughing. We still got our tags though, barely in time.



The first tag that was signed.



Rebekha, showing off the folded skirt with the tag.



Some of the initial tags were hard to get quite right due to the lack of schooling in writing. They will come along though.




The last, rushed meeting to get all the skirts together, mark who did what, etc. Went really well. The first part was dedicated to setting goals and that was amazing. These ladies have great aspirations.



Rebekha, and one of her skirts.



The skirt signings and goal meeting

Rabekha and Alice Mary Update

You may have noticed some different spellings in this blog. That is because Rabekha and Alice Mary are not quite sure how to spell their names in English (Tamil has a completely different lettering system). We asked a few times, and got a few different answers. Reabekha, Reabekah, Alise Mary, Allish Mary, etc. The final spellings? Rabekha and Alice Mary. This is what they each decided on, and how their names will be spelled on the tags that should be ready by Friday.

Rabekha and Alice Mary are sewing quite well now, and are proud of their work. They are both super methodical about everything, and obsessed with stitching the skirts correctly. Rabekha told me that if she makes a mistake then she will undo the whole side of the skirt and do it again so she can learn to do it right. The first skirts made took about four to five hours per skirt. They are getting faster and better now though. Alice Mary and Rabekha have been taking lessons from Rabekha's sweet little grandma who is a "master tailor". The skirts are looking great and they are sewing much faster than they were before. And I think they are having a great time doing it.

One of the main goals Rabekha has in working with Nivi Empowerment Initiative is to send her son Daniel back to a good school. Right now he is at a public school. Public schools aren't so bad though, right? Well, in some areas they are. My friends that are Indian have told me that many public schools don't do a good job educating students. Teachers might not even show up for class. I didn't know if I should believe that.

A couple days ago though, Nickesh and I were checking up on how the sewing was going and Daniel came home from school. I asked him how school was and he told me that it was really good. I asked him what he learned and he replied, "Nothing! The teacher did not come! We played all day!"

Consultants

"Did you think of this idea really, really late at night when you were really bored?"

That is a fair question, one asked by 10-year-old Jessa when she and her mother were helping us pick out fabrics. It is always a bit awkward when someone ask what I do for work. "I, umm... have a company that makes skirts." People always ask if I'm serious.

In my defense, the original idea was not to sew skirts. I wanted to have a company that helped people, but the original medium for doing that was to make ski jackets and pants. I love skiing. I'm not a designer by any means, but at least I could test out the ski clothes on the snow.

Unfortunately for my ego though, the market research and logistics suggested that skirts were the way to go. Skirts are much simpler, and they are commonly made in Southern India where I have some great friends that I can trust. Besides, skirts fit in with the basic idea that I've been trying to figure out for years: Have a profitable company with the main goal of helping people.

So far, so good. I've been in India for about three weeks now and I have a little over one week left. I have been able to work with some of the most amazing people while here. Jessa and her mom, Teresa, are a couple of those amazing people.

They go to the same church building that I do here in India and I called them to ask some advice on fabrics. Not only did they take time to talk with me on the phone, they went to the fabric store with me to show me what would wash well, wear well, and generally be good for skirts. Jessa was the fashion consultant that helped match up the colors and patterns and Teresa was the fabric guru. We spent hours in that store, and the only shopping they did besides helping me was a few minutes to buy fabric to help someone else. Great people and I'm thankful for their help.

("I still don't get why you're sewing skirts")

On being a fighter

This lady has more reason to hate life than just about anyone. Her name is Susan.

Her husband committed suicide about a year and a half ago so his parents (who she was living with at the time) were livid. They thought it was all Susan's fault that their son took his own life. They promptly kicked Susan and her two kids out of the house and didn't even let her collect her things. She lost everything but her two children.

Susan has been living at her aunt's house in a small room and works for a pittance as an assistant. She is a smart lady and went to some college. But really, how much can you get ahead in life when the chips are down THAT MUCH? She is barely making it.

But she IS making it. She has made it through what I'm sure was lots of emotional turmoil. And now, she's stoked to be working with Nivi Empowerment. It gives her hope.

I chatted with her about what her goals were today and she was so excited to think that she could send her kids to school, and even go back to school herself. People like her make me pray that this business goes well so that Susan and others can have a way to a better life. People like her make me glad that I'm here in hot, muggy India. People like her inspire me.

sewn.

I'm impressed. I was sick for a good portion of last week so everything fell behind schedule, including the sewing class that we had scheduled for Rabekha and Alice Mary. They didn't let that stop them though. They found friends that would teach them how to sew and stitched little skirts to learn how a skirt is made (shown in the picture on the left). They both wanted to be ready to work. Now, a few days later, the first real skirts have been sewn. These two are so excited about what they are doing and the opportunity that this is in their lives.

Just what does Nivi Empowerment mean to them? It means that they are able to better their lives. Nivi Empowerment pays a fair wage, but on top of that, provides these women with "micro-earning," - a concept that borrows heavily on micro-lending. For every piece of clothing sold, Nivi Empowerment places money in a bank account for the woman the sewed the skirt. This money is tagged for projects that the woman needs, such as fixing a roof, going to school, or getting clean water. The initial micro-earning product for all of the workers is a sewing machine of her choice.

This micro-earning model is not a hand-out, but an opportunity to progress with hard work. Rabekha has said that she feels the light of hope in her life now. Nivi Empowerment is giving an opportunity, but these amazing women are the ones that use their initiative to work hard and lift themselves up.

RSO visit

I just spent a weekend at Rising Star Outreach and was amazed at all the progress that has happened there in the year since I last saw it. There is a playground, a new building, a new septic system, new paint, a new hostel, and - the most amazing of all - potable water from some of the taps.

All my dear little friends there are learning well, and seem to be happy in their newly certified school. I loved spending a couple days with these kids. Smart, talented, and just good. I can't wait to see where they will be in 15 years.

The people that are largely responsible for the changes of the past year? Ron and Joyce Hanson. They are both graduates of Stanford and have done very well for themselves. But rather than spending their time at a California beach house, they live in the boonies of India in a small apartment with faulty power. They have sacrificed a lot, but I can't help but think of the hundreds of people their selfless service have inspired, including myself. The Hansons are just extremely kind people who care about individuals. And one by one, they are making the world better.

Pictures

Moonrise from the roof

Picture taken while waiting to find a rickshaw. Chennai.

Sai Baba, painted really big on the side of a building. Also note that the "STD" in the lower right does not stand for the same thing that it does in the United States. It stands for State Trunk Dialing and is a phone system in India.

Reabekha, Alice Marie, and some of her family in front of their house. Alice Marie is a neighbor of Reabekha's and used to sew. She dropped out of school when she was 12 to help support her family and is now looking to make her life better.

Looking for sewing machines. Reabekha chose this one with the help of John (her brother-in-law that is a tailor) and Suresh (a sewing machine mechanic). It just so happened that the machine shop was next to the fabric district, so we cruised over there after to check out prices on materials.

Nickesh and I grabbed lunch at a local hotel restaurant that had air conditioning. I can't tell you how good it felt to relax in AC for an hour.

Cool building in Chennai, just outside of the sewing machine shop. We were struggling to get a rickshaw, so I took a handful of pictures here.

The salesman at one of the fabric shops. I have no idea why he had that mask thing on his head. All the other salespeople were dressed normally.

Looking for fabrics. Came across this for a chudidar and used most of the people that were helping us to show it off.

So the salesman is modeling a ladies scarf thing that came with the fabric shown in the previous picture. He just put it on to show me what it was used for. Between that and the mask, I nearly cried from laughing so hard.

I couldn't help it. I asked him to put on the mask for this last picture. The fabric is a cotton/poly mix. Pretty soft. Looks good on him, but hey, with that mask he can rock anything.



My long-time friend Raja. He just got an LDS mission call to serve in Utah.

I love sunrises from the plane. This one is somewhere between Atlanta and Mumbai.

Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Padma Venkatraman

9/16/09 – There have been a few people in this world that have forever changed it for the better. Gandhi, Churchill, Adams, Lincoln. I got to talk with a lady of that caliber today. Her name is Padma Venkatraman.

Padma thinks of others first. She is the daughter of the late Ramaswami Venkatraman (former president of India) and could live whatever life of luxury she chooses. But she chooses to help others. She has changed what it means to have leprosy in Southern India and made the lives of countless people (both with and without leprosy) better. She is also the 2009 Enterprise Mentors Humanitarian of the Year, and has an amazing list of accomplishments.

I first met Padma in the Fall of 2005. I was a volunteer with Rising Star Outreach, an outstanding organization that helps people with Leprosy. I was so incredibly lucky to be able to work with Padma and shadow her on her visits. We would go to leprosy colonies that were sometimes a couple hours away and I would chat with her about microlending, life, religion, everything. Never once did I end a conversation anything less than thoroughly impressed with her.

We met with Padma today and the meeting went really well. She is so passionate about helping people and believes in the idea of Nivi Empowerment. Padma gave some great suggestions and will help us out more when she returns from her trip to the United States to accept the Humanitarian of the Year Award. It is difficult to overstate how valuable it is to have her input and help.

hired.

9/15/09. I’ve been pretty focused on how I was going to make the numbers work lately and I guess I kinda forgot of one of the biggest reasons we are starting Nivi Empowerment Initiative in the first place – to help people. I got a reminder of that today as we hired on our first worker, Rabekha. Nickesh and I talked with her, and her 16-year-old son Daniel.

They live in an extremely small apartment and are struggling to make ends meet. Rabekha's husband is a good worker, but recently crushed his foot while moving a fridge so she is searching for a job to pay the bills, and pay for Daniel's schooling. Her family was beaming when they found out she had a job.

Pictured: Patrick John (Rabekha's father), Reabekha, Daniel

Skirts, manliness, some setup notes

(I typed this out while on the plane, and am posting it now that I have internet access.)

September 11^th, 2009

Well, the 8th of September turned into the 11th of September which turns out to be tomorrow. The last few days have been a whirlwind, but a lot has been done. Still not READY, but the flight is leaving so I guess I am too.

I've spent the last few days trying to understand what makes a good skirt. I even spent a couple hours fabric shopping with my mom so that I could understand what fabrics are good for skirts. Don't worry though, I wore my AC/DC shirt and kept a puzzled look on my face so that nobody in the fabric store thought I was a regular. Manliness still in tact...

Scott spent some time interviewing random ladies in Arizona about what makes a good skirt, talking to his wife Karalee about skirts, and probably other people too. Also giving invaluable input to the skirt design was Aimee Hickey, Ali Bolen, Ari Winegar, Sara Kimball, Ashley Clawson, Terese Demler, Heather Rigby, Jan Bangerter, Jessica Swenson, Ronda Caywood, Liz Castaneda, Nicole Caywood, Andrea Doakes, Whitney Winegar, and lots of others, and more to come. If I forgot you on this list, don’t hate me. I forgot lots of people, so that puts you in the majority. Plus, I haven't slept nearly enough for the past couple days.

I can't even hardly dress myself so it was good to have input from people who know what looks good. Thank you all. Oh, and I have to say that Jose Castaneda helped with the design a lot too.

Nickesh has been putting in some hard work in India to get this set up. India has been hit by the recession too, and lots of women are desperate for work. Just through word of mouth, in about 24 hours we have five women that have said they want to sew for us. The first meeting with them is on Tuesday. I'm excited for that meeting. I'm excited to tell them that we can pay them a fair wage AND help out their families.

More to come soon...