Austin Philanthropist: Knitting Together a Better Future

Austin-based Slumlove Sweater Company brings economic and educational opportunities to families in Kenya.

By Maddy Hill

At the age of 4, Ava Darnell found her heart drawn to the people she encountered during a family trip to Kenya. Her parents, who were and still are involved in humanitarian work, encouraged Darnell and her brother to see and understand how different the world around them was from the one in which they were raised.

After graduating with a degree in media production from Concordia University in Austin, Darnell wanted to find a way to combine her love for fashion with her true passion for the people she had met in Kenya. That combination was the inspiration behind her fair-trade fashion brand, Slumlove Sweater Company.

Like any good idea, the idea for Slumlove didn’t come to her right away. Darnell first worked for Kibera Penda Project, an educational nonprofit, and built relationships with locals in Kibera, Kenya, one of the world’s largest slums, all the while wondering how she could incorporate her two interests.

“There weren’t many examples of companies that were combining a consumer business with humanitarian aid,” Darnell says. “I felt like I had to choose either humanitarian work in Kenya or fashion, and felt like working in Kenya was more the direction I was supposed to go.”

Darnell then discovered that many women in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, possess a knack for sewing, a result of their need to knit school sweaters for children. All she had to do was find a way to create jobs for these women, jobs in which they could earn living wages and have a chance to provide for their families. The seed that would become Slumlove Sweater Company was planted.

Unlike one-for-one business models like Toms, portions of Slumlove’s profits instead go directly to funding scholarships for children living in Kibera, which is located just outside of Nairobi. Darnell sees education as an imperative resource to raising a new, powerful generation in places like Kibera. Through these scholarships, children are allowed to attend school outside of the slum, eventually giving them the opportunity to start a career and provide for their families.

“We knew that knowledge was, in this case, power for these people and a way to empower this community,” Darnell says. “We felt like providing scholarships for the next generation would be a great way to ease frustration in the community.”

Slumlove was launched in 2013, and Darnell’s biggest struggle with starting the brand was conquering the business skills necessary to maintain and grow a startup, but her company has continued to chase new and exciting opportunities. Slumlove recently expanded its product offerings by adding beanies and hats to the solely sweater-focused line, and Darnell collaborated with The Deeply Co. in Nashville, Tenn., to produce a special-edition scarf as part of an anti-human-trafficking initiative.

With these leaps in the right direction, it’s important to Darnell that the business stays as ethically grounded as possible. One thing that keeps her focused on the true nature of this give-back operation is the constant communication she has with the 16 women who knit for Slumlove.

“A saying I’ve heard a lot is, ‘When you help a woman, you help a family,’ ” Darnell says. “These women aren’t working for themselves; they’re working for their families and they’re working to improve their children’s lives.”

Slumlove is more than just an idea now. It’s more than the desire Darnell felt in her little heart at the age of 4. Slumlove is a celebration of the place the people of Kibera call home. It’s an opportunity for women to showcase a talent they have been practicing for years. In short, Slumlove is a community.

The love Darnell shares with those residing in these slums is raw and profoundly powerful. In the maze of navigating company growth, innovation and change, her love for the people Slumlove represents remains constant.

“It’s so great that this group of women in this geographical location are getting recognition for their talents,” Darnell says. “[Their talents are] so steeped in culture and tradition, and they are finally getting the recognition they deserve.”

Photos by Katie Jameson.