From volunteering with Mother Teresa in India to being a fashion stylist in Hollywood, Kirsten Dickerson found a way for her two worlds to collide. In this installment of Interviews with Influential Women, Kirsten shares how she is on a mission to empower women to discover their full potential.
Give my readers a little bit of who you are and what you are doing today.
Today I’m the CEO and Founder of Raven + Lily, a company dedicated to empowering women through fashion design. Before Raven + Lily, I was a fashion stylist and art director for commercials and music videos coming out of Los Angeles and San Francisco which gave me the ability to express my creativity. But my heart was always bent towards supporting non-profit efforts to break cycles of poverty mainly among women and children. It felt like I was a little schizophrenic trying to do two totally different things.
I would often bring people with me on my non-profit volunteer trips. In fact, I’ve organized many trips for people to join me to different countries in Asia and Africa—helping them meet amazing people that I know who are doing incredible grassroots work among the poor in different nations promoting dignity and empowerment. On one of those trips I brought 10 friends from Hollywood to India, which is when I began to notice a trend in non-profits training women in skills for increased job opportunities. These were women that usually had no education; they might be HIV positive, maybe even formerly enslaved or refugees— usually pretty traumatic and oppressive experiences.
This new model for alleviating poverty is not a traditional handout model, but rather to equip people, and women in particular. The facts show that if you give women access to loans, literacy programs or teach them a skill they use it to improve their family and even their whole community. These women were learning skills to sew, weave or make jewelry but they weren’t making anything that I necessarily loved, but I loved this idea. So I got the idea to collaborate with them. My friends and I had design skills and these women had desire to produce products they could sell. We also wanted to create designs that could use materials these women had access to and be thoughtful to the planet—eco friendly, artisan-based materials.
Raven + Lily became a non-profit experiment in 2008 when a group of five designer volunteers funded out of our time and resources to support women that I knew in Africa and India. Once we saw that people loved our products and our idea was making a difference in the lives of these women—we confirmed our ability to both support the women overseas and market their products here—we changed Raven + Lily into a social business for-profit model. A for-profit social business is sustainable and can really help grow and scale this idea bringing more women into the fold. I see it having endless possibilities with the amount of women and artisan skills all over the world that we could work with under our brand.
I’m so inspired by these women that I decided to bring their stories to Raven + Lily customers. I’ve always felt the most alive when I’m in other cultures with these women or if I’m in nature. I wanted to share their stories in a way that would empower our consumer. My goal is when women here see these beautiful pieces of jewellery or clothing they will want to wear them because the design is beautiful; but when they realize this design is actually making a positive impact on a woman on the other side of the world and on our own planet then they would feel empowered as a consumer.
I started a company empowering at risk women, but I also feel that it has become equally important to empower consumers. I want my customer to recognize that they have the potential to be the heroes of the story. When we exercise our power of choice to use our consumer dollars and our freedom in positive ways—wealth and freedom that so many do not have—we’re directly impacting other parts of the world and it’s powerful.
In the non-profit model we are often calling people to give out of guilt. But when you feel inspired you are more likely to act. People want to know how they’re being a part of the solution otherwise they feel paralyzed and overwhelmed by the problems. There are some big giant problems out there. The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world and it’s one of the biggest sources for unethical labor. I can’t solve some big problems, but I can be a part of directly impacting some specific groups of women in this world and directly providing a sustainable solution to some of the problems the fashion industry has created. We can be actually have great fashion that honors people and the planet in our production process while also empowering consumers to make choices.
What women do you feel have been important role models to create what you are creating?:
When I graduated from Baylor University in 1996 I jumped on a plane the next day to India and volunteered with Mother Teresa when she was still alive in Calcutta. I was really drawn by what she was doing. I did a lot of different things, but a large amount of my time was just volunteering in one of her homes in Calcutta and living in a hostel with other volunteers. It was extremely challenging—hot, tiring and overwhelming in every way. While I was there I read a lot of her writings about her life. Every time I walked into one of her houses I’d see a quote on the wall that called people to focus on the individual. Her message to focus on each individual rather than the whole problem actually changed me because otherwise I would get overwhelmed from poverty I was experiencing and witnessing. It was also really hard to wrap my head around how women could be treated the way they were treated.
Mother Teresa’s message was always to not focus on the crowd but on the individual and to know that every person matters. It influenced me so deeply even in starting Raven + Lily. I absolutely believe every single woman on the planet matters and is viable. Yet, I can’t solve all the problems women face, but I can be a part of seeing some specific viable women empowered through this company, and that matters. I’m going to work hard at that and grow it as much as I can to help as many women as possible. She profoundly influenced me not to be overwhelmed, but to be inspired to do what I can and to the best of my ability.
There are also both business and spiritual mentors that have come into my life in the last 20 years. Those women gave me one-on-one time and helped me understand how to play to my strengths, how to accept my weaknesses. They believed in me and were willing to give their experience, time and energy to encourage me and to guide me along. Just knowing that there are a few people that are your cheerleaders is crucial at times.
What challenges did you face and overcome in starting Raven + Lily?
Well, I did not have a business degree or a background in business. My degree is to be a teacher although I knew I probably never would. When I started my non-profit I had to do a lot of research on my own to understand the issues of poverty and how to really alleviate it. I got mentors, volunteered and read. I taught myself and just dove in headfirst. But then when I moved Raven + Lily into the profit sector I had to take my non-profit experience and then put on a CEO hat. I was like starting all over because working in the for-profit world is really different than the non-profit world. There are definitely similarities but I had to learn how to raise capital and create business plans.
I entered an incubator program to get guidance mentorship, which was essential. My role as a CEO is challenging because I’m very relational.
I tend to struggle with being a people pleaser. While running a company I’ve had to make a lot of decisions that are in the best interest for the company but were not what other people liked. To disappoint people, let people go, or turn down an opportunity because it didn’t feel right in my gut has been really challenging for me. I often look back and think how I could have done that better. I’ve had to toughen up a little bit and also be more aware of what I’m really good at. What I learned is to hire people that are better than me in the areas where I recognize that I need help.
When I went to raise money for my business I felt like I was on Shark Tank. More than once I had to pitch my business to a group of all male venture capitalists. It was such a strange experience. I wish I had a video of their faces and me presenting eco-fashion to empower women to a group of men who normally have only invested in tech companies. Women avoid these situations and probably are often ridiculed. But if you are passionate about your idea, it can sell—even there. I made it through the pitch and I have a really wonderful group of investors from it.
What are the most important things you do or you’ve done that have contributed to your success?
I operate as the visionary for my team. I’m always casting a vision for where we’re going and also reminding our team and all of our partnerships why we’re doing what we’re doing. It’s important to constantly evaluate everything against our mission.
My other role is to make sure that we’re staying on brand and that anything that we’re going to produce is the best design, highest quality and actual representation of the women’s talents and skills whose products we are bringing to market.
Lastly, I love being a spokesperson for empowering women. I really hope to be a part of bringing this movement to the foreground especially in the area of ethical fashion. I’m speaking in Las Vegas at South by Southwest. It makes me laugh because my background’s not in business, but I absolutely take on that role if it gives me a platform to share what I’ve learned and make a difference. I think there’s so many ways that business can be done in creative ways for good. I love sharing the Raven + Lily story and hope that it inspires other people to do something that is profitable and serves, too.
Were there any obstacles to being a woman that you’ve encountered in all of this and how did you handle this if there were?
When I was figuring out how to move from a non-profit to business there were a few men that seemed eager to invest or support our company but diminished my leadership and me. It was the first time I felt some sort of gender discrimination and it was so obvious that my husband actually got involved. When he saw how I was being treated he coached me to get help. I was able to seek legal help and the aid of people on my team to help me learn how to manage the situation. I have not faced it since then, but I had to learn the hard way because I was so trusting and we were already working together when I realized what was going on. It gave me a small taste of what the women face in all of our partnerships because it was the first time I experienced gender-based discrimination. It paled in comparison to the gender issues women elsewhere face and yet it still felt so bad.
I believe I went through this because it gave me a stronger sense of compassion and empathy for the level of discrimination these women I’m advocating for go through that I have only understood in theory and through their stories.
What do you think the top issues are for women? And maybe what are the biggest opportunities?
Globally, the issues are that such a large amount of women have grown up with no access to education, literacy or job opportunity. When I think of women that already have children it’s giving them access to sustainable income so that they can educate their girls so they can have more opportunity. When I’m interviewing the women—it doesn’t matter if they’re from Pakistan, India or the Rain Forest in Guatemala—they all want their girls to have an education. They want their children to have an education, but they specifically want their girls to have an education because they were not given that opportunity.
I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a mom and not be able to keep your child because of poverty or because you were HIV positive. I really want to empower these mothers to be able to keep their children and to thrive as families.
The opportunity in helping these women is that we are helping everyone in their family, community and ultimately the world. Women want to nurture and care for their community. One of my favorite moms, Doza in India, was one of the first women to make our wooden letter jewellery collection in 2008. Doza and her oldest daughter made the jewelry and started training other women to make it as soon as they began thriving. Most of the jewellery is made from their homes because in their conservative community they weren’t supported being in business or leaving the home except for home duties. When I visited her a couple of years ago with my daughter, Doza told me that the women no longer mourn when girls are born, but they rejoice because they have seen firsthand the value that girls can now add to their family. She has not only helped other women learn the trade, but actually was starting to change the way that whole culture viewed women. They gained self respect and the natural result was for them to keep passing it along to more and more women. We respected their culture and didn’t try to make fast radical change. The men are not feeling threatened by it, instead they are seeing the value that girls can add.
The girls normally were only married off. They were never educated and they never even left the home. Now they’re getting educated, they’re business owners and it’s being done in a way that’s changing culture for the good. The change is driven by them, we’re not telling them how to do it and they’re really driving it within our culture.
Is there anything you feel like Western women need to consider as they are looking at the next chapters in their lives, whatever that chapter might be that?
We don’t realize how privileged we are as Western women sometimes because we do have our own struggles and problems on a daily basis. But in comparison to the global community, it’s really not life threatening. If we can recognize that no matter what we’re going through we still have freedom of choice and the influence that can bring beauty and something positive into the lives of other people. When we tap into what we are passionate about and can utilize the gifts that we have, we can move mountains. I would absolutely not be interested in just running a fashion company. I would have just given up a long time ago. It’s just not worth it. Being connected to something that’s feeding my passions and also connecting to these women who are constantly giving to me just through their stories and their strengths as I’m giving to them has really been so inspiring for me. There are so many ways to contribute—whether it’s film, writing, business or the tech world—there’s just no limit to using whatever avenue you’re good at or you’re passionate about to make a positive impact on the world.
Kirsten Dickerson’s career was divided by her passions for social justice and fashion before starting Raven + Lily. She spent 15 years doing both styling work in the film industry and working alongside global non-profits.
Kirsten has travelled extensively to over 30 countries, starting with her studies in Africa and then living in Estonia shortly after the Soviet Union dissolved. The day after graduating from Baylor University, she headed to India to volunteer with Mother Teresa and Compassion International.
Creating this brand has allowed her to unify her passions and capitalize her experience in both the humanitarian and fashion worlds. Motivated by a belief that each person is valuable and uniquely created, Kirsten is dedicated to empowering women to discover their full potential. She is passionate about promoting business models as a means of providing a dignified way to alleviate poverty, especially among at-risk women.
