Showroom 808’s Grand Opening will take place on Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 10222 Pecan Park Blvd., Suite 13, from 11am-5pm. The day is going to be filled with networking, community member spotlights, shopping, and a special guest appearance by Me & the Bees Lemonade founder, Mikaila Ulmer.
Hawkins Bucklew Jewelry Designs made its debut on the fashion scene during Austin Fashion Week in 2014 and has received both national and international exposure. Their Ethos-Chic™ Statement Jewelry was featured in British Vogue, Tribeza Magazine, and the Austin Chronicle among other publications.
The mission behind Hawkins Bucklew Jewelry Designs is to empower creative women founders, which is why the launch of this social business enterprise is so important to the award-winning entrepreneur.
Hawkins-Bucklew received the Mandela Washington Reciprocal Exchange Fellowship Award a flagship program of former President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). She traveled to Lagos, Nigeria with her daughter to host the Creative Entrepreneurship Bootcamp alongside of Mandela Washington’s Fellow, Hauwa Liman, owner of a fashion design company called AFRIK ABAYA.
Inspired by her experience in Lagos, Nigeria and the bond that was built with female entrepreneurs from the African Continent, Hawkins-Bucklew aspired to recreate that experience with female entrepreneurs in Austin.
Showroom 808 is the Hawkins Bucklew mission in action. It provides an opportunity for the community to support local creatives by purchasing their handmade products. It gives designers a physical space to showcase their original designs and a wholesale showroom platform from where retail buyers can stock their shelves. Consumers are also welcome at Showroom 808 and can directly purchase unique fashion accessories and gifts items.
I am because you are.
Hawkins-Bucklew is often motivated by the African term, Ubuntu, which means humanity and is translated as, “I am because you are.” Hawkins-Bucklew knows what she has accomplished would not have been possible without those who came before her.
Her philanthropic heart also supports related causes and for her Grand Opening celebration, she has chosen to spotlight The Bakari Foundation, honoring the life of Bakari Henderson, an emerging fashion designer who was murdered on the Greek Island of Zakynthos in 2017.
Today, his mother Jill Henderson keeps his dream alive and is determined to successfully launch his fashion brand Bakari Sportswear. She and her family, through their work at The Bakari Foundation, offer a transformative travel experience for families who have lost loved ones at the hands of another. Bakari Sportswear samples will be showcased during the event for guests to view.
