Not only does Kirsten care about
her business, she cares about the
impact her personal buying deci-
sions make on the world around
them. The year Raven + Lily started
was the same year their family lived
at Sunset & Vine in Hollywood. It
was also the same year they de-
cided not to buy anything new for
an entire year. It was during this
experience that she realized we
are connected as people. “Every-
thing we buy is impacting people,
not always for good,” she says. “If
we slow down and get to know the
people behind what we are buy-
ing and make a positive impact,
we can make a change for good.”
The Dickerson family is still con-
stantly challenging themselves.
After moving from Hollywood, the
family bought 25 acres in Austin, TX,
did a cleanse of their possessions,
bought a couple vintage trailers
and yurts, and started a glamping
retreat. Now they live minimally
with plenty of wide open space
and are very conscious of their im-
pact as a family and individuals.
This sense of responsibility trans-
lates into her business and the re-
lationships she maintains with the
companies artisan partners. Raven
+ Lily staff are in communication
with their partnerships daily and
see how they are doing. In fact,
they’ve only not been able to visit
one, which is in Pakistan, because
they weren’t able to get a permit.
Raven + Lily has grown into a
mutually empowering company
— women on both sides are ben-
efiting. Not only are the artisans
Kirsten Dickerson
23
building their own business and
earning fair wages for their work,
customers are recognizing their
power as westerners and how our
buying makes in impact on the
world. It brings dignity and honor to
the artisans knowing they are mak-
ing something that people want to
wear and think is beautiful and cre-
ates a constant circular empower-
ment that represents Raven + Lily.
Kirsten Dickerson is the Founder, CEO and Creative Director of fashion and
lifestyle brand Raven + Lily. A vanguard for the sustainable fashion movement,
Kirsten has established a global network of 1500+ artisan women from 10
countries around the world. Together, these women have created the first fair
trade, ethical fashion and lifestyle brand of its kind. As the Creative Director,
Kirsten draws upon her background as a fashion stylist to design each collec-
tion, which has expanded to interiors, home decor and leather accessories in
addition to fashion and jewelry. The designs by Raven + Lily are created in tan-
dem with the artisans and allows the company to help preserve long standing
traditions in weaving, embroidery, carving, dyes and knitting. Kirsten is an avid
traveler, having visited more than 30 countries in her time as a fashion stylist,
social justice advocate, and entrepreneur. Kirsten, her filmmaker husband and
two children live in the country outside of Austin, Texas. They have a minimalist
lifestyle, and are enthusiasts of slow food, slow fashion, and the positive im-
pact they have on people and the planet.
ravenandlily.com