Called to Create: The CW Collection #FashionFriday

I’ve been reading this book titled Called to Create, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. As a girl who loves all things fashion, it can seem superficial at first glance, but as a young girl, fashion was stitched with deep threads on my soul. The downfall, though, was that I never knew clothes could actually be used for the good of others. Maybe I was just too focused on myself. Shh, don’t tell anyone! I completely missed the part about fashion plus advancing the kingdom of God working together. In my mind it was destined to fail, not even a possibility.

If you’ve been following CW the past few months, you may have noticed that we’re taking a journey of launching a clothing collection that will benefit the foundation and women we serve at CW. To be a nonprofit is tough and almost unsustainable if you don’t have a for-profit side. The solution was simple since we are a diverse group who love all things fashion and faith. I’ve said before with many of my previous ideas, so when this idea came, I was once again a little hesitant because of the “I tried that journey 20 years earlier and it didn’t pan out” thought aka battle of the mind. Now with my head not stuck in my selfish 20s (thank you Jesus for that!) and realizing we all have a purpose, the passion I once had for fashion has shifted. It’s still there, but the reason to do it has taken a different meaning.(Read more about that journey here.)

I guess that’s why reading Called to Create was a big confirmation for me as the team at CW launches into this new season. We realized that as we create anything – including clothes – it has to be for the good of others and it has to reveal the image of God, the very first creator and entrepreneur.

So that’s what been happening these past few months; it’s been a very exciting month! Here's the break down:

Manufacturer:
We had a bit of a pause this summer because, well, the kids were home more. As speed picked back up come fall, I felt really behind on the goal we had set of launching the line at our yearly conference, Style Speaks V. But, then came this defining Friday afternoon when I visited a local Austin manufacturer with my friend Cheryl, who has taken this journey with me from the very beginning in 2010.

As we sat in the office discussing the six design ideas for our first capsule wardrobe collection, the sweet lady looked across the table and said, “You know, these are such classic pieces, we probably already have these patterns made. You can make adjustments to fit your designs for less cost.”

Translation: We get to skip two big steps in the process (pattern and grading) putting us back on schedule! Can you say, “Hal-le-lu!” Summer pause was no obstacle for God!

Release date:
Every year at Style Speaks we always end with a really fun fashion show featuring local designers. It’s always one of the highlights after a day of hearing from some fabulous speakers and enjoying a day of pampering and shopping. It’s the best kind of girl’s day out! After last year’s Style Speaks event I opened up my journal to set a goal that at following year’s event, CW would have their very own line to feature. I didn’t know if that was just t-shirts or what that really looked like. It wasn’t until May that the vision came to its entirety.

Ladies, mark your calendar now and buy your ticket for Style Speaks V: Dare to Dream to get the very first look at the brand new CW collection! It will be an exciting day as we enter into this new season of purpose. Not just for the clothes, but a way to financially support the women we serve through our programs and one day a CW building that will be open for classes, events, and so much more. It will be a place where we gather her and God-sized dreams are discovered and launched, a place where women can be and become who they are created to be.

For now, we are still figuring out pre-sells so that you can order at SSV and receive the product(s) by May - just in time for summer! Keep following to stay in the know of all the details.

Click image to get your tickets

Landing page:
Speaking of following the journey, our landing page is LIVE. Sign up to follow and you might even get early access to pre-sales…hint, hint!

Fitting party:
This will be fun! Since you are all the ones we are designing for, you should be in on the design, right?! Once we get our samples, we’ll have a mini fashion party so that you can try on and say things like, “This works” or “Let’s make this change.” It might even be at the January Gather Her event.

What’s next:
You already know about the pre-sales so there’s that. The next step is figuring out the clothing tags and packaging. As in everything we do, we want to make sure that as each item is received, every woman knows how valuable she is and loved. It’s a big piece in pointing HER back to Jesus.

That’s where we are and the journey continues!

I hope to see you in a couple of weeks at our Gather Her yearly fundraising party where you get to give and receive. Check out all the fun things happening in just a couple of weeks and come hang out with your girl tribe.

Until then, be sure to follow us on Instagram as we will be posting fun pictures along the way, and don’t forget to sign up to follow the journey found on our CW Collection landing page.

See you next Fashion Friday,

Heather

Heather Frierson

 

Silver & Gold Holiday Beauty Bash benefiting     Gather Her

FREE

'Tis the season for all things that sparkle! Grab your girl tribe, fancy up, and gather 'round at Cotone for a fun evening of beauty and fashion benefiting Gather Her &  Created Woman, a non-profit that empowers women to be who they are created to be.

Sip, shop and get pampered all in one place! 

*Free Mini Makeovers using Jentri Quinn Makeup + Skin

*Complimentary Braid Bar

*Raffle Prizes (get one free ticket when you RSVP now!)

*Light Bites & Cocktails / Wine

*Holiday Music provided by DJ Anupi

*Candy Bar

*Complimentary Chair massages by Teresa with Roots and Remedy