A New Collection & A New Venture
I have long admired the Refuge Coffee Company. Located just outside of Atlanta, the non-profit coffee spot works to serve the local refugee population through coffee-related job creation, job training, social networking, and commerce. From their website: "We dream of a more vibrant Clarkston, one where refugees have opportunities to thrive. Where they move from survival in their first days here to building a life. Where people from greater Atlanta and beyond discover the multi-textured beauty of a global culture right here in our own backyard."
Does that language sound familiar? It should if you've followed Threads by Nomad for a while, because that is exactly our mission. All of this — the clothes, the advertising, the events — all of it is to serve those who are displaced or in danger of displacement. It has never been about more than that.
Still, Threads is a for-profit company that needs to always have in mind the bottom line if we are to carry out our mission to the fullest extent possible. As such, however, our ability to meet the very human and physical needs of those we encounter has been limited. Over the past three years, the company has taken on significant benevolent work. Eventually, Mom and I recognized that to better address the problem of displacement and to better serve those who are displaced we would need to approach the issue from both sides.
So, last week we signed the final legal document and created The Off Ramp, the new sister non-profit organization to Threads by Nomad. By combining both commercial and benevolent forces, we believe we will be able to serve more and serve better. We will be releasing more information about The Off Ramp over the next few weeks (look for a new fancy brand video!), but for now, you can read about it in this article that was published today and then pay a visit to our website.
Threads by Nomad isn't changing. In fact, we just launched our Spring 2019 collection online. We have a weekend-long event planned for our DC-area friends April 6 & 7. We've got the commerce covered, and we hope to continue to grow and expand. But The Off Ramp will now carry the burdens of job training, crisis intervention, soft skills development, and more. Once a refugee friend is ready and willing, Threads by Nomad is then able to offer him or her a job, a contract, or even just connections and advice. The synergy is already proving to be effective!
We want to thank every one of you. The Off Ramp was blessedly unexpected, but we would never have been ready for (or in need of) such a leap of faith if you hadn't helped us build Threads by Nomad to this point. On that note, go shop our new collection! And as you do, know that you are actively participating in positive change that has individual and global impact.
How many jumpsuits do you know of that can do that?!?