Our Farewell

Our Farewell

by Lauren Carpenter February 08, 2021

We want to share some heavy news with you, our beloved patrons and fellow abolitionists. After nearly nine years of growth, we have made the tough decision to close our business.

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Just One Number

Just One Number

by Emily Mahoney July 20, 2020

It started with a tackle box, a little gray fishing tackle box. In 2015, Lauren Carpenter and I walked into the End Slavery offices with a tackle box of metal blanks and a few hammers. That’s the day we met K and B, the first survivors we hired to make jewelry.

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On Motherhood

On Motherhood

by Lauren Carpenter May 04, 2020

Being a mom, having a great mom, or grieving the lack of a great mom, have been important parts of all our BRANDED employees’ lives. Most of the survivor artisans we’ve had the privilege to work with are mothers themselves.

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Survivor Vignette: Wisdom from PB

Survivor Vignette: Wisdom from PB

by Emily Mahoney May 06, 2019

One of the greatest pleasures we’ve had here at BRANDED is the opportunity to work with artisan PB for almost two years now. She is one of the longest hires we’ve had, and this woman is not only an amazing artisan but also an unspeakably impressive individual.

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From the Studio: Valentine's Day Inspired

From the Studio: Valentine's Day Inspired

by Emily Mahoney January 23, 2019

This Valentine’s Day we are introducing a new BRANDED piece which we could not be more excited about! We’d like to share with you a little bit about how these new earrings came to be.

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Survivor Vignette: The Survivor in YOU

Survivor Vignette: The Survivor in YOU

by Emily Mahoney August 14, 2018

Sometimes, when working so closely with young women who have lived on the streets, experienced gross physical and emotional abuse, and lived in abject poverty, I can feel guilty for all the circumstantial blessings around me. I can also feel quite inadequate to actually help anyone.

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Survivor Vignette: A Roof for RO

Survivor Vignette: A Roof for RO

by Emily Mahoney June 07, 2018

Life has taken much from RO. She is not yet 25 and has already experienced more loss and abuse than most of us do in a lifetime. And yet, she shows up to work every day with one of the most sincere smiles and truest laughter I’ve ever witnessed.

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Survivor Vignette: Binge Gratitude

Survivor Vignette: Binge Gratitude

by Emily Mahoney December 22, 2017

So, the holidays can be really hard! It seems to be the busiest time of year professionally and personally. Stress and anxiety can feel as abundant as Christmas twinkle lights. It's easy to focus on all the to-do's and have-to's...

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Survivor Vignette: A Real Cowboy

Survivor Vignette: A Real Cowboy

by Emily Mahoney October 10, 2017

There are so many times while we’re working in the studio with our amazing employees that we think to ourselves, “I wish our patrons could see this!” We want so badly for you to see the good your support and purchases does

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How Do You Walk in Freedom?

How Do You Walk in Freedom?

by Lauren Carpenter June 29, 2017

We could not be more thrilled to tell you about our new product collaboration with Mission Lazarus: the Freedom Collection. The metal part of these leather cuffs is hand-stamped by survivors of trafficking here in Nashville who are now free from their oppressors.

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New Spring Line + We Just Hit 20,000!

New Spring Line + We Just Hit 20,000!

by Lauren Carpenter April 27, 2017

We just stamped our 20,000th product! We are continually grateful to each of you for your support of our mission to empower and employ survivors of trafficking in middle Tennessee.

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Introducing our Survivors Page

Introducing our Survivors Page

by Emily Mahoney March 01, 2017

Each cuff made here at the BRANDED Collective has been hand-stamped by a survivor. What an honor it is to employ them and watch them learn the craft of jewelry making. They are driven, capable, kind employees and we are beyond proud of their work.

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We're Part of Something Big This Summer!

We're Part of Something Big This Summer!

by Lauren Carpenter June 24, 2016

For seven weeks in April and May, we worked tirelessly to fulfill our biggest order yet. We employed seven extraordinary survivors up to three days a week and worked with 14 incredible volunteers to create over 4,500 cuffs. 

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How We Came to Be

How We Came to Be

by Lauren Carpenter June 03, 2016

One of our favorite BRANDED stories is the story of our origin. It is quite complex and one day we’ll tell you the whole thing in detail. For this blog post, we’ll keep to the highlights.

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Unique Women: J, T and TL

Unique Women: J, T and TL

by Lauren Carpenter May 04, 2016

For those of you who have followed our survivor stories page, you've probably noticed they are each very different. If there is one thing we've learned through this process it is that each of these dear women is unique; they simply beam with individuality.

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Do You Wear an E or V?

Do You Wear an E or V?

by Emily Mahoney March 11, 2016

One of the more difficult parts of the work we do is saying goodbye. Working with the incredible women at End Slavery Tennessee (EST) is a rollercoaster ride of high highs and low lows.

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Meet "R"

Meet "R"

by Emily Mahoney February 22, 2016

Meeting R is like meeting a sunbeam. You cannot encounter her without leaving brighter. She is among the most gentle souls you will ever meet. Her work with BRANDED is excellent.

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What's in a Name?

What's in a Name?

by Lauren Carpenter May 08, 2015

In April we began an exciting new venture: we now employ two survivors of human trafficking!  Through our partnership with End Slavery Tennessee, we not only give 25% of our profits to their clients, we also provide them with needed work.

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t-615 Featured on Ravishly's "Ladies We Love"

t-615 Featured on Ravishly's "Ladies We Love"

by Lauren Carpenter April 01, 2015

Three years ago, Lauren Carpenter and her best friend Emily Landham started t-615, a fashion company that sought to raise funds and awareness for survivors of human trafficking.

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Q&A with Good Goods

Q&A with Good Goods

by Lauren Carpenter March 16, 2015

We're thrilled to have recently been featured on the Good Goods blog created by fellow Nashvillian, Cayla Mackey. The site is a great place to find a PETA-approved catalogue of ethical goods that are vegan, fair trade and sustainable (including yours truly!).

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The Grand Unveiling

The Grand Unveiling

by Lauren Carpenter October 07, 2014

The time has finally come: our new line of fair trade, organic, American-made tops are now available for purchase online! We are thrilled to unveil these two new tops because they truly represent our values and evolution as a company.

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Change Is Good.

Change Is Good.

by Ande Truman September 10, 2014

Welcome to the new t-615 blog. You might notice our site looks a little bit different these days, and there's a good reason for that. Big changes are underway for t-615.

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