The Power Project is hosting a fashion show to raise support for victims of human trafficking.
“January is Human Trafficking Awareness month,” said Brandi Voth, owner of The Power Project. “We wanted to host a fashion show that would highlight anti-trafficking brands that are made by survivors of human trafficking.”
Freedom Fashion will present a show, scheduled for January 21 at 6 pm, featuring a variety of brands and organizations dedicated to stopping human trafficking.
“The fashion industry lends itself very easily to trafficking, both for work and for sex, so we wanted to say that there are brands that are changing this,” Voth said. “They are using transparent supply chains, ethical sourcing and paying a living wage. We are doing it at a slightly slower level, but with a bigger impact.”
Two of the companies involved are Voth’s, Power Hat Co. and Power Tee Co.
“We are an anti-trafficking brand and we provide transitional employment to survivors of trafficking,” Voth said. “In addition, all our shirts and sweatshirts are Fairtrade certified.”
Another business involved is Moss & Metal, which is located in the same location as The Power Project Collective and is owned and operated by Bailee Tierce.
“She runs an ongoing bracelet business called ‘Let’s Link Up for Freedom,’ and 10 percent of each of those sales goes to support survivors of human trafficking by providing differential income, business training, and assistance financial,” Voth said.
Collaborators
There’s a new line at The Power Project coming up called The Last Word, which has anti-trafficking T-shirts, upcycled pieces, and survivor-inspired hand-painted jean jackets.
Some other companies that will participate are Bungalow 123, Wild Pear Boutique and ABLE. All these companies work with Fairtrade certified artists and support the fight against human trafficking.
Proceeds from the fashion show will go to the Cooke County Hope Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit arm of the Power Project founded to meet the currently unmet needs in Cooke County.
“We have used it for Fix My Ride in the past and we have used it for some people who need financial assistance, and one of the areas in Cooke County that is not being covered is assistance for survivors,” Voth said. “I’ve done a lot of work in other counties, but we really wanted to plant something here where we can support survivors, so all the proceeds from this fashion show will go to the Cooke County Hope Alliance and we’ll use that. to support survivors financially and with the income gap.”
As part of the show, various groups will be present for people to learn more about what can be done.
“After the show, after we’ve had the conversation, there will be multiple organizations represented and people will be able to talk and network and find organizations that they can connect to,” Voth said. “I may have a heart for child trafficking or labor trafficking or frontline rescue or restoration work – anywhere someone wants to connect with the anti-trafficking movement, I can do it.”
The problem affects everyone.
“Any time there are large gatherings of people, there will be traffickers bringing in girls, boys, boys and women,” Voth said. “We are five miles from one of the largest traffic hubs in the US annually, the WinStar casino. They don’t want to: They have a great team of investigators who are trained in anti-trafficking and victim advocacy who are on the ground every day to keep you out of the casino, but the truth is, the traffickers are bringing in girls from Dallas every day to the casino”.
Voth became aware of the issue in 2017 and began to investigate and learn more about what he could do.
“Once I opened my eyes, I knew I had to get involved,” Voth said.
A bit of fun
Freedom Fashion will be a show to raise awareness of this very serious issue, but there should still be some fun.
“It’s a heavy topic, but it’s a conversation we can have in a nice social setting,” Voth said. “We wanted to use it as a fun night, have a DJ, some drinks and food; make it a night of fashion and advocacy, but also a great social event where we all raise awareness and fundraise and get to have the conversation.”
The show will be at Power Project Collective at 114 W. Main St. in Gainesville. General admission tickets are $50 and include drink tickets. For more information, visit thepowerproject. com.
Source: news.google.com