 |
| Photo credits: Relevée and Made by Survivors |
In a nutshell:
What they make: Necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings made mainly of silver and brass.
How they make a difference: They use proceeds to fund employment, education and after-rescue care programs for survivors of slavery, human trafficking and other human rights abuses.
Who they help: Rescued survivors of sexual, domestic and other types of slavery.
Where to buy their products: Online
Where they are: Northern India (manufacturing) and Florida, USA (management)
The recent re-launch of the jewelry line signals that the company understands that, when it comes to their branding, they need to be a fashion brand first. Don't get me wrong, a mission-based business will always be driven by, well, their mission. But making sure to present the jewelry line in a modern, stylish manner and to showcase the product at least as much as the story behind it will allow the brand to sell more, grow faster and ultimately provide more support to their mission. Relevée's new online presence presents the brand in a more sophisticated manner. Their new website is very clean and tells their story in a succinct way and without taking the focus off the products and their target audience. The website's imagery shows their target customers as fashionable, worldly, sophisticated women and even though some may be able to tell it is modified stock photography, it gets the point across. (No judgement on using stock photography! I am all for stretching resources, especially, when it comes to startups and mission-based companies).
Who they help: Rescued survivors of sexual, domestic and other types of slavery.
Where to buy their products: Online
Where they are: Northern India (manufacturing) and Florida, USA (management)
It thrills me to write this particular review for a couple of reasons. First, because it has been long overdue. Second, because since I started writing this review, the company has gone through a wonderful re-branding process. Their re-invented brand is a great response on the comments I previously had on their potential and how they should present their brand and products. They must have read my mind!
Previously known as Made by Survivors (the name of their parent charity), Relevée is a fashion jewelry line designed and handmade in India by women artisans who are survivors of sexual, domestic and other types of slavery. All of the company's proceeds go to continuing developing their parent charity's mission of giving women and children the tools to remain free forever. They help survivors rejoin society and even become pioneers, as their artisans are some South Asia's first female goldsmiths.
Exploitation is a real issue. The aftermath is too.
 |
| Photo credits: Relevée and Made by Survivors |
Over 30 million people live in slavery around the world today. That is equivalent to the whole population of Texas PLUS that of the city of Chicago, IL. Organizations like Free the Slaves, and the United Nation's GIFT initiative are working hard to fight human trafficking and rescue people currently suffering of these and other human rights abuses. But what happens after? Once a woman has spent most of her life being forced to live outside society, how can she come back and start making a living? Many girls were born in brothels and are denied not only opportunities in life but also a chance to even see what an unexploited, self-sufficient life looks like. Life is not easy after they get rescued and many times rescue stories end with exploitation, poverty and even a return to slavery. In order to prevent that, survivors need shelter, education, training, and of course, jobs. And that's exactly what Made by Survivors (MBS) give to over 200 people in Nepal, India, Cambodia and Thailand. People participating in the MBS programs get the training and opportunities needed to become product designers, team supervisors, artisan metalsmiths and entrepreneurs. They earn middle class wages and the ability to support their families in a dignified, independent manner. Most of them also help with rescue efforts and community building.
Relevée - uplifting women with a smart business model
Relevée is the face of Made by Survivors' most successful program. It operates out of India designing and producing fashion jewelry whose revenue is dedicated in its entirety to fund the Made by Survivors program. The best part of its jewelry line is that they do not rely on their noble mission alone. They create beautiful, fashionable pieces that would be sought after by sophisticated women regardless of the story behind the pieces. This may almost sound cold, but creating unique pieces that would sell regardless of their social impact, is key to any mission-based fashion project. The reason is repeat sales. People may buy a product because the story behind it touched their hearts, but they will rarely become regular customers. And survival of a fashion brand relies on repeat sales more often than not.
 |
| Photo credits: Relevée and Made by Survivors |
 |
| Photo credits: Relevée and Made by Survivors |
The Future?
The company's mission and their accomplishments so far may be of great help when shaping a PR strategy to bring more traffic (and revenue!) to their online store. People like having the opportunity to contribute to a noble cause in creative or unexpected ways. The company should, however, keep the style of the brand in mind while sending that message across and not let the mission overshadow the product- or the other way around.
Additionally, as a new brand I think they could benefit greatly from the exposure of daily-deals fashion sites like Gilt, RueLaLa and Amazon's My Habit. They could also explore the possibility of making a special edition private label line for already established designers (like the Ethical Fashion Initiative and Madres&Artesanas already do)
I can't wait to see what the future holds for this young brand. Hopefully they will continue focusing on building a sophisticated style that allows them to fulfill their mission of giving people the tools they need to be always free.
