Melissa Hinnant, the founder of Grace and Lace, spent a lot of her summers as a teenager doing Christian-based mission work in India. It was here that she initially fell in love with the people and culture of India. What Melissa didn’t know is that this charity work that she engaged in early on in her life planted the seed for her business years later after she became a wife and mother.
After a devastating tragedy that took the life of her newborn baby girl, Melissa found strength in sewing and knitting, which eventually launched into a full-fledged business with Grace and Lace. This special fashion platform sells clothing and accessories in the U.S. from which a certain portion of the proceeds and profits go to building and supporting orphanages in India.
Today, Grace for Lace has successfully built 7 orphanages across India with a total of 160 orphans and have also built a safe house for young women who were a victim of sex trafficking. The organization also supports a school for orphan boys to become missionaries. As the business grows, Grace for Lace plans on opening more orphanages in both India as well as Nepal.
Grace for Lace is very much an inspiring story, as it is wonderful to see individuals abroad who are using fashion to give back in India and do special work. Social enterprises such as Grace for Lace are quickly multiplying in Western countries and Seams For Dreams continues to be amazed by stories such as this, where international businesses are using sales to raise funds for various social causes in India.
With this being said, Seams For Dreams hopes that stories such as this inspire businesses and social entrepreneurs in India to roll up their sleeves and help give back to their own country. Fashion is a great way to get involved in charity efforts in addition to empowering the consumer to make conscious choices in what they wear!
Seams For Dreams would like to applaud Melissa and the rest of the Grace for Lace family, as it is stories like this that make a world of a difference in the lives of others.
Keep Giving in Style!
Team SFD
Photos courtesy: Grace and Lace, Angel House Facebook. Melissa Hinnant and Rick Hinnant
