In a Far Away Country There was a Blouse...

I returned to Terra Prometida, Brazil in June of 2004. I brought my parents with me to meet the place and people who two years prior had imprinted on my heart and soul the true meaning of strength.

As we were walking to the Barracão for a children’s theatre performance, a woman approached my mother with a sleeveless shirt made of what looked like over twenty colors of yarn, intricately laced together into a beautiful floral pattern. I had always been very cautious of buying anything from members of the community whom I shared my life with for five weeks in 2002. I knew they would somehow become a lasting part of my life and I did not want to get stuck with the “rich, white American” image. I glanced at the shirt and tossed a cautious eye at my mother to send her that message. She ignored me and accepted the woman’s price of eight dollars.

My birthday is in July. As a gift from my parents, I received this shirt. While wearing it a few times during the summer, not an hour would go by that someone did not catch my eye and ask me where it came from. From then on, no matter what words of opposition came my way, I never doubted that Fairloom would become a success. The shirt was irresistible enough to ignore cautious stare-downs from strong-willed daughters.