This is a big day, y’all. It’s huge, in fact. Today I get to partner up (to give one of YOU a necklace!) with a brand I’ve long been enamored with and deeply impressed and inspired by: Tribe Alive. Ethical jewelry and accessory company, Tribe Alive has been around for a little less than a year and a half, but its impact is much greater than its age. Carly Burson, the company’s founder, is Tribe Alive’s lead designer, but those who bring her vivacious jewelry, leather goods, and other products to life are women from a slew of developing areas in countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Haiti.
I came by Tribe Alive a couple years ago while visiting a street fair in Fort Worth, Texas, where Carly is based and where the magic all began. At one of the many tables of goods and products lining the street, simple metalwork jewelry caught my eye — I love a good, minimalistic accessory, which is a way to describe much of the brand’s products — and I instantly bought a pretty, brass triangle-pendant necklace. Most of my friends and family members also own something Tribe Alive-made, since it’s basically my go-to for gift giving (secret’s out, guys). And you can see me wearing its stuff in many a Freckles and Figs blog post.
How it works is: Carly (who’s worked in fashion for years and years before launching her own shebang) designs jewelry and weekender bags and wallets and other accessories. Tribe Alive works with established nonprofits in developing countries, who allow Tribe Alive access for partnering with local, mostly female artisans who might not have had any other means of income. They create the product samples and send them back to Carly for review. If tweaks need to be made, she offers feedback; if all looks great, she asks them to move forward with creating enough product to sell.
No matter what, the artisans are paid full, living wages.
And it doesn’t stop there. I spoke with Tribe Alive’s content marketing manager, Taylor Meadows, who told me the thing that’s different about Carly and her business. She doesn’t just rely on the women to complete her vision and turn a profit; she goes to these women to hear them, to learn who they are as individuals and as artists. She listens to their goals and what they want in their lives, and she actively works to help them achieve those objectives.
While Tribe Alive is a brand that focuses on fashion, it also focuses on ethics and the people behind the trends curating them. In fact, that’s what it’s based in: helping women work to support themselves and their families, and building a brand that empowers everyone rather than stripping them of their voice and their means of living. As sad as it may be, that’s not how it goes with a lot of fast fashion brands that we know and buy every day. Tribe Alive stands out in that way. Led by a team whose mission is to empower women, the brand continues to create beautiful products in a way that supports, uplifts, and enables the people behind it.
Clearly, I’m all about Tribe Alive and its message, which is why I am stoked to be giving away a piece from its new spring line’s today: the Almost Moon Pendant Necklace. Crafted by an artisan in Honduras, this necklace is so stunning in its simplicity and one of my favorites from the spring collection. I love moon-shaped jewelry, and this one is perfect since it isn’t in-your-face with the crescent moon symbolism and can be dressed up or down.
To enter:
- Follow me (@audwan) and Tribe Alive (@tribealive) on Instagram.
- Tag two friends in my IG post about this giveaway (it’ll be up around 10 a.m. central time!) who empower and encourage you.
Ta-da! That’s it! Entries will close Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., and the winner will be announced on Wednesday!
(These gorgeous photos are by the lovely Sarah Cook!)
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