Rachel Donaldson

Dr. Brissey

PHIL 213

8 December 2017

The Flourish Market

Have you ever considered where exactly your clothes that you wear everyday come

from? Maybe you have and the tag says, “Made in China” or maybe even “Made in Vietnam”.

Several billion dollar corporations have shipped their labor overseas in the past century where

labor is cheap and people in severe poverty work for pennies a day. No, I am not trying to guilt

trip you to stop buying items from big companies such as NIKE or The Gap, but I do want to

draw your attention to one of the most inspiring people I have ever met, Em Sexton.

Em is a young entrepreneur who worked her way up to become the Vice President of

Communications and Change Management for an Investment Bank. While living her everyday

life, Em became overwhelmed by the tragedies taking place in the clothing industry in

Bangladesh. Thousands of sewers were killed when a factory collapsed even though they had

reported the cracks in the building days before. This was not the only example of tragedies

happening within this industry. Nobody is oblivious to the fact that workers overseas are subject

to unfair treatment to provide us shoes that cost less than $20. How can a company afford to

provide cheap products? That’s right, cheap labor. We may not entirely think about who is

making our clothes right when we buy it but if someone were to ask you who you thought made

the shirt you are wearing; the response would more than likely be someone overseas. Em realized

this and tried to stop her spending habits, but of course, she fell victim to buying items that were
not ethically produced. It wasn’t until she researched companies that produced items ethically

that she realized how much of an impact this can have on the people that make them.

Long story short, after realizing what a big impact she could be making in people’s lives,

Em quit her job at the Investment Bank and decided to use her skills to help win people over to

the idea of using their purchasing power for good. Since October 2015, Em and her husband

Chris turned their step van into somewhat of a fashion boutique on wheels and have partnered

with 40 brands that provide jobs and fair wages to artisans and makers in vulnerable

communities. A year later in November 2016, Em opened a storefront boutique in Downtown

Raleigh called The Flourish Market. Throughout her journey, I believe Em Sexton has embodied

the values of compassion, vision, dedication, commitment, and caring which should inspire

others to want to be just like her.

From the very beginning of her journey, Em had a vision for what she wanted this

company to look like in the years to come. However, it was her dedication and commitment to

make a bigger difference in young women’s lives that she left her very successful job in order to

do so. This type of dedication is what makes the greats truly great. Some type of risk is involved

and I believe if it is a worthy cause the benefits will always outweigh the risks. Next was her

commitment to making this company great. In such a short time span she researched ways to

inspire dignity in those who slave over making our clothes every day. She did her homework and

found some of the best brands who could do exactly what she was looking for; hire young

women who have skills to make clothes and other items and pay them a fair wage. Her hard

work paid off and she was able to create a successful business that allowed her to open a store

front location within just a year!

 None of this could have been possible, however, without Em’s compassionate heart. Her

compassion and caring attitude towards women in poverty is essentially what inspired her

boutique and mission. Not many people nowadays are willing to sacrifice a good deal on clothes

and shoes or are willing to go out of their way to make sure the brand treats their workers fairly.

Even Em herself admitted that she tried to only spend money on things that were necessary as

well as ethically produced and failed several times. It is not an easy thing to do. What really

sparked Em’s interest was when she came across a store called Elegantees. She fell in love with

their mission of employing survivors of sex trafficking to make their clothes. Em claims that

what truly changed her heart was putting faces to the pieces of clothes that she was buying.

Em used the influence of Elegantees to create her own mission to sell clothing, purses,

home décor, and gifts made by artisans all across the world. To add to the list of inspiring things

Em has done, she has decided to create an additional mission of building a house in Peru for

recently rescued survivors of sex trafficking. She has raised money by selling donation rocks that

will be placed surrounding the house. She also hosts in-house dinner parties that her and her

husband host for friend groups that sign up to have a 3-course meal with all of their friends. Talk

about a meal that should actually be celebrated! All of the proceeds are then donated to building

this house. On her website, she also lists several other ways people can get involved and help in

funding this amazing project. Not to mention 10% of all sales from her boutique are also donated

to building the house in Peru.

So, if you can’t tell already, Em Sexton is a person to be celebrated due to her selfless

heart for artisans in vulnerable communities. She cares enough to devote her life to helping other

people and has made a successful business in doing so. She is very dedicated to her work which

is why she has been able to make such an impact in these communities. I love how she has
expanded her reach to Peru and has made it her mission to provide a place of rescue for sex

trafficking victims. Imagine the impact we could make if everyone tried to incorporate these

values into their everyday life. Imagine if everyone found something they are passionate about

and could use their passion to make a difference in the world. Em’s core values are what makes

her such an inspiring person and I hope she continues to inspire everyone she meets.