Able has been a staple since the beginning of Provisions Mercantile, and everyone who knows the products falls in love with the simplistic beauty and quality of the pieces. ABLE is so much more than incredible products. They have made the world of fashion their mission field. In an industry that has often created impossible standards and unsustainable practices, ABLE works to be different in the products they produce, the behind the scenes of their employment and operations, and in the message, they convey to their customers.

            The company began in Ethiopia, where a few women who had come out of the commercial sex industry began making and selling scarves. The stories of these women moved hearts and transformed this humble beginning into a global company, enabling women in Ethiopia, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Portugal, and the US.  Their approach is simple and powerful. They come alongside women who have overcome some of life’s hardest battles and provide sustainable jobs that produce quality products. The women earn living wages, have ownership in the company, maternity and healthcare coverage, and flexibility to give time and energy back to their families and community. ABLE has discovered first hand that women are a huge part of these struggling communities and when they are empowered with the means to support themselves and their families, it creates a ripple effect on the cycle of poverty and hope for a better future.

            ABLE has recognized from the beginning that change does not happen without a holistic approach. These are women who have been effected and used by substances, abuse, loss, and sex. The power to overcome does not come when just one aspect is addressed. Coming alongside them with community, counseling, and consideration for their health and families enables lasting change. They are actively breaking cycles that often leave both women, and their communities stuck. They have seen that creating dignified opportunities for women can change lives. In turn, their children are positively affected and the hope is that they will carry these changes on throughout their own lives. Just a story of hope and redemption can inspire the same in others. And that is most simply what ABLE seeks to be.

            In addition, ABLE recognizes the effects that the fashion industry has on women and their own responsibility to their customers. They actively seek to rewrite the impossible definition of beauty that has been so long ingrained in our minds and the minds of future generations. Their sizing, models, and simplistic approach to beauty in products reflects a realistic image of women and fashion. In their own words, “ABLE is Moving Fashion Forward by creating go-to wardrobe pieces that empower both the women who wear them and the women who make them”.

            So as we continue to carry these products, we will continue to share in this mission. Lasting change for a hopeful future, not just for the individual, but for entire communities. As we enjoy the simplistic beauty of the end product, we will continue to remember each of these women who have OVERCOME and actively work to create change in their lives and their families’ lives. And as we receive each new piece of jewelry, we will keep turning them around to read the names, handwritten on each one, and share in the joy of their resilience and the delicate beauty of their craft. And above all, we can take this experience as an opportunity to remember our Creator, who has delicately and beautifully crafted each one of us, and who gives us the ultimate hope for an incredible future.

Stop in one of the shops and see this amazing product line in person. We will greet you with a smile, and if you look close enough, we probably have some Able jewelry on ourselves!

- Caroline G.