ABLE Nashville: Learn the Story Behind the Brand
ABLE opened their flagship store right here in Nashville. Take a moment to learn about the social enterprise and see the stunning space.
Barrett Ward has charged himself with awakening the fashion industry, and teaching the importance of respecting the process and the hands that make the goods. Through his social enterprise, ABLE, Barrett has a platform not only to effect change but to give a voice to those so deeply impacted by poverty. ABLE employs women from seven countries through their fashionable line of scarves, leather goods and jewelry. Founded with the belief that job creation is an integral part of solving the poverty issue, ABLE is not a charitable business but a social company in the business of creating jobs.
UnderstandingΒ the backstory of the brand and Barrettβs conviction that all women should be celebrated is integral in imagining the future of the company. βAs fathers, we want to make sure our daughters know their worth. Through our story, we hope to validate young women,β he tells us.Β Not only is Barrett a father, but he is a father of four daughters. In an effort to champion for women (his daughters included), Barrett had dedicated his life to providing opportunities forΒ those to whom opportunities are not often given. βOur storyline is finding ways to end extreme poverty for those most affected, which is women and children,β he says.
According to Barrett, he was born an idiot and pursued idiocy through his 20s. It was not until a trip to Peru, when Barrett had his first brush with poverty, that he saw the jarring juxtaposition of his life and aΒ life of poverty. βA beautiful little girl β I still have her picture β walked out of a shackΒ and washed her face with dirty water. I thought, how does someone so beautiful end up in this situation? That just shows you how disproportionately misaligned I was with the world,β Barrett says. This experience led him to leave his jobΒ and move into the nonprofit space. A job withΒ African Leadership landed Barrett in Africa. It was there that he began working with women. From there, he started Mocha Club, which, by allowing young adults to realize the impact of their money, fightsΒ poverty in Africa.
ABLE got its start in 2008 when Barrett and his wife moved to Ethiopia. It was the understanding that young women were making terrible decisions and selling their bodies to save their families that moved him. The story of a young woman going into prostitutionΒ to save her sister from breast cancer is one that Barrett canβt seem to get off his mind, even nine years later. The realization that these women were notΒ degenerate but heroic badasses willing to make extraordinary sacrifices for the ones they loved inspired the company.Β βThe bags let us tell good stories of these women,β he says.
Recent recipient of a GQ award, Barrett is not one to boast about his accomplishments. βI donβt figure things out in advance,β Barrett tells us.Β βI will never forget our first winter. There were tears welling up in my eyes β my arms so sore from dying scarves. Now we are doing things you canβt even imagine in a company this size.β It has been Barrettβs tenacity and dedication to the mission that has allowed ABLE to grow in its impact. The story is not about Barrett, but about his mission to protect women.
Since the companyβs founding in 2010, there has been a commitment to making truly beautiful products. Quality product development and staying true to the companyβs mission are the foundations of the company. Seven years later, they are able to sell these beautiful products from their flagship store now open in The NationβsΒ Stocking 51Β development.
Claiming to know just as much about the aestheticsΒ of the space as the fashionable outfit his wife chose for him that morning (hint: not much), Barrett directed me toΒ Sarah Trammell, ABLEβs interior designer. βMy plan was to keep the space minimal, refreshing and inviting β¦ approachable. I want the product to be displayed in way that invites customers to try each style of bag or jewelry. We painted the walls white so only the product would pop. My hope was to create a space that anyone who walks in curious about ABLEΒ leaves inspired by the product and mission.β
Visit the shop and do as Sarah intended: try each style of bag or jewelry. Within the 700-square-foot retail space, you will find leather goods, scarves and jewelry and behind the walls, ABLEβs work space. Sit, touch the product and hear about the mission and stories behind ABLE. But before you head there, let us give you a sneak peek into the space:
Learn more about ABLE, the Nashville shop and peruse their collection here. And thank you to Leila Grossman of Grannis Photography for todayβs beautiful photos!
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Alex Hendrickson
Alex is a Southern writer known for hunting down delicious stories and traveling the world with hunger. Her passions and interests lie in food, travel, interior design and inspiring people, and her dream is to eat a dozen oysters a day.