Verve is the brainchild of four friends coming together to make an impact and leave behind a legacy of gratitude and a big beautiful smile on those who most need it. We share a dream and that is to make fashion affordable for those who can pay for it and available for those who cannot. Inspiration and motivation come in forms you never expect and those are the best kind because they remain in your hearts for a very long time. And for us, it stayed long enough to actually put out the energy and effort to breathe life into our dreams.
Verve did not start because four friends decided to leave behind their high-paying, stable 9 to 5 corporate jobs for the world of business and entrepreneurship. To know Verve and its story, we have to leave these four men and meet the two boys who shifted reality right under our feet. If the world was kinder and half as innocent as those two boys, we wouldn’t have a story to tell in the first place. Well, here we go.
The boy in the audience!
We were all having a great time in the park, and the whole place was filled with so much life. The kids were playing one game after the other competing against each other. We were just one of the many adults watching the game but there was a young boy among us. Waiting and hoping for a sign to join in. And we were waiting along with him, curious to know when his turn would come. But it never did. When his friends came to take him home, they consoled him with such beautiful tender words of comfort which put a smile on his face but all that we could see was a reflection of a broken heart and shattered dreams.
We informed the coach about this and his answer left us speechless. “The game is part of a club, the players are kids whose parents are members. They don’t like it when their kids play with children like that. Their torn clothes, patches and stitches make them uncomfortable. And they absolutely hate it when these kids win in a match against their children.”
Children like that huh? How unfair is this world and what values are we imparting to our children exactly? Talk about judging a book by its cover! That kid deserved to be part of that game. He deserved the chance and the option to choose. But all that the world sees is a boy with a worn-out dress full of patchwork.
Injustice served with idly!
While we still haven’t recovered from what happened with the boy in the audience, another innocent soul came to us. He was young and poor, the most horrible combination, I am telling you. He was hungry and asked us if we could get him something to eat. I gave him some money and asked him to get what wanted from the nearby roadside idly shop. I watched him go and place his order. He paid the full price and did not bargain or beg. The shopkeeper looked at the boy from head to toe, judged him for his appearance, and his outfit and simply decided the boy wasn’t worth the fake smile he so shamelessly showed his other customers. He was so insensitive and way out of his line.
The boy waited longer than necessary to get his order and when it did come, he was served in a plate which otherwise would have gone to trash. No one, absolutely no one deserved to be treated like that. These things create a negative impression on these children, it affects their confidence and self-esteem in the long run. Such harsh and totally uncalled-for judgements take away their opportunities and their dreams.
Well, that’s where Verve comes in. For some reason, the boys remained in our memories and wouldn’t let us just sit around and do nothing. Such horrible things were happening around us, every single day and we decided it was time we addressed them. Change takes time and we did have that in plenty to start with. After several intense and heated discussions over pipping hot chai and absolutely unhealthy yet delicious snacks, we had our answer.
We don’t know how to teach grown-up adults basic manners and neither can we force them to be respectful. But we can absolutely teach the kids how to handle such adults. We can help build their confidence, ensure they do not miss out on an opportunity they deserve, and promise them they will never be judged on how they are dressed. Verve is our answer and solution. We stand by that because we believe in that.
At Verve, we wish to inspire a generation of socially conscious fashion with a pinch of gratitude sprinkled on it. You add a t-shirt to the cart and we add happiness to it. Because every purchase you make, directly benefits a kid who cannot afford a proper outfit. We are all in this together, stand with us, and support us, in our journey to heal the world. Let your wardrobe choices contribute to a world filled with gratitude. Verve is and will always be the beacon of compassion and style.