Old t-shirts are not glamorous. Not surprisingly, they were not seen on the runways of New York, Paris Milan, or London this past fashion season. I checked. But in a small workshop near downtown Austin, something amazing is happening with the most basic of fashion staples. Cotton t-shirts from schools, churches, and members of the community are being sliced, diced, and recycled into super cute skirts, scarves, even dog toys. What makes these items truly glamorous, however, are the hands that sew them.
Currently in it’s first year of operation, The Open Arms Shop initially selected four women to work for a livable wage in order to support their families and themselves. The women are refugees from places like Bhutan, the Congo, and Sudan, where they experienced horrors many of us in our pampered American lives could hardly imagine. But here, they are offered an opportunity to learn a skill set, and they are able to work family-friendly hours so they can be home with their children after school. In addition, they eat lunch and bond with fellow workers, sharing food from their native countries and helping each other adjust to life in America.
Photo: theopenarmsshop.com
Hearing stories like Odile’s, who walked every day for a year in order to escape oppression, only confirms that the work of the founders at The Open Arms Shop is of the utmost importance. Approximately 8,000 refugees currently reside in Austin, with around 1,000 more arriving each year. Oftentimes the only jobs available offer very little pay and late night hours that leave very little time to raise a family. Refugees in this country are often misunderstood, and they enter a cycle of poverty without even realizing it.
For me, volunteering at The Open Arms Shop was like going into a life-changing experience without even realizing it. My husband accompanied me on this trip since it was a bit over an hour drive from San Antonio, and it was amazing to see what both he and I took away from the day. Without getting too personal, my mother-in-law immigrated from Mexico and gave birth to her 7th child, my future husband, a short time after that. Hearing the stories of struggle and strain to make ends meet from the workers at The Open Arms Shop, he completely connected with their stories, and found himself thinking how much a business like this would have benefited his own mother. I, on the other hand, found myself amazed not only by the strength of the women present, but by how emotionally connected they began to feel with my husband’s story. There is something about the American dream that unites people, no matter what country they hail from. Who knew that we would be so deeply affected by helping to cut t-shirts for a day? I suppose that’s the beauty of volunteering; you genuinely take away more than you could ever give.
Photo: theopenarmsshop.com
If you want to help, please visit The Open Arms Shop website here. You can purchase the items these women create, and you can feel good knowing you are supporting refugee women who create sustainable products from recycled materials. Does it get any more warm and fuzzy than that? They also have information for volunteering, and I highly recommend it if you are able. Standing amongst these women, working together to create something out of a simple t-shirt, it is impossible not to feel an amazing sense of empowerment in the room. And that makes those t-shirts more glamorous than anything I’ve ever seen in a runway show.
XO,
A
