Religion that God our
Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world.
James
1:27
When I first learned of Anna Taylor, founder and CEO of
Judith & James, I was instantly drawn to her story, as I am drawn to anyone
that shares the same heart song; a passion for fashion and a compassion for
those in need. What really drew me in
though, was not the connection in our callings, but a rather significant
difference. I am a little over a decade older than her and I was absolutely
amazed by her complete willingness and courage to say YES. She provided the time, the drive, and the
dedication to see the opportunity and the dream, all the way through to a
physical entity and reality.
In 2010, at
the age of 19, she made a choice out of pure obedience to Christ to use what He
had given to her to care for widows and orphans. Even at 29, I remember still struggling to
make decisions out of pure obedience! But there was no hesitation for her, no second guessing.
"I knew that the time was now and I had an open door when the pastor in the slums offered for me to come and re-start the sewing training program for widows. When there is an open door, you walk through it."
Oh, but silly me, how could I have expected any other answer
when your parents have been the admirable example of service, care, and love,
when they said YES in 2007 and moved their entire family from Little Rock,
Arkansas to Nairobi to start Go Near Ministries. They spent several years living there and
continue to return numerous times throughout the year to aid impoverished women
and orphans surviving the slums.
Anna moved to the states to attend college and in 2010, flew
back into familiar Kenya. It was then that she was introduced to Judith, an
extremely skilled, but unemployed seamstress living in Nairobi. Anna began using her knowledge from the
fashion world to design pieces for Judith to sew and then brought those finished
fabrications back to the U.S. to sell to friends and classmates. Those designs sold out so quickly that Anna sought out local
suppliers and industry experts in Africa and then took an internship in product
line design with Amani Ya Juu.
Anna has now showcased her beautiful pieces not only at the
Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week, but debuted the Judith & James Spring/Summer
2014 Collection at New York Fashion Week.
There are now ten ladies in the intensive, eighteen month
long, James127 Foundation sewing program, located at the Haven building in
Nairobi. Seven women are enrolled in a
new jewelry program added just this last May.
Upon graduation, these women are offered positions with either the Judith
& James company or with Judith & James' sister partner, Jimani JewelryCollections.
You'll be able to see a sneak peek of their newest
constructions and creations in the upcoming Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week
show, Walk this Way, to help support
the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
"I want courage to be communicated to the wearer. The women in Kenya are so courageous every day. The strength and courage of those women is translated through the clothing they hand make."
Anna, thank you for
saying YES, for being courageous yourself, so that the stories of these
inspiring and talented women can be told each time someone pulls a blouse off
its hanger or slips a dress over their head.
If you would like to add a few of Judith & James' strikingly beautiful
pieces to your wardrobe, they are available for purchase at their website or
you can help by sponsoring a student in the James127 training program. You can also keep up with what's new on their
blog or the Judith & James facebook page!
