How Nassimi’s Partnership with New Hope Girls Turns Donated Fabrics into Opportunities for Women and Girls
How Mindful Materials Spark Hope
- A mission trip launches an unexpected partnership between Nassimi and New Hope Girls.
- A reminder that materials—and partnerships—can have value beyond their original purpose.
- Donated fabrics find new purpose through handcrafted products.
The interior design industry is accustomed to collaborations that further a business strategy. Other times, a meaningful partnership starts with a question: What could we do with what we already have?
That’s the question Cathleen Domen, a customer service representative at Nassimi, asked during a church mission trip to the Dominican Republic in May 2024. While there, Domen and members of her congregation volunteered with New Hope Girls, a nonprofit rescuing, restoring, and empowering girls and women affected by abuse, extreme vulnerability, and human trafficking.
She was the designated lifeguard at one of the homes where girls were staying. While caregivers tended to the home, Domen made it possible for the girls to enjoy a day in the pool.
But it was what she saw beyond the volunteer activities that stayed with her and would blossom into a Nassimi and New Hope Girls partnership.
Domen spoke with Joy Reyes, founder and CEO of New Hope Girls, who shared details about the organization’s programs and toured its workshop, where women use their hands, their skills, and their creativity to create handcrafted bags and accessories. The nonprofit provides women with employment and income while helping fund New Hope Girls’ broader philanthropic efforts of rescue, refuge, and restoration.
“We’re working with women so that they can provide for their families with honor and dignity,” Reyes said. “They all have hard stories—it’s not like a specific profile—but they’re all coming from hard things. And they make these beautiful bags that then we send abroad and sell to help fuel, of course, their salaries, but also the work of rescue and refuge.”
When Domen returned home, she shared the experience with her congregation and her employer.
“I said to myself, you know, we have a lot of material that we either can’t sell or is flawed in some way for our customers but may not be flawed in the way that New Hope Girls could use it,” Domen recalled.
She approached Nassimi’s director of operations about material donations and organized a presentation about the organization for Nassimi president Edward Nassimi. His response was immediate, and 500 yards was shipped to the Dominican Republic. Nassimi has since sent multiple shipments, including a recent shipment of more than 1,000 yards. Material donations evolved into a combination of donations and closeout purchases, with New Hope Girls selecting fabrics.
“What we’ve learned is that something as simple as a roll of fabric or faux leather that may have been sitting in our warehouse can be incredibly valuable when it’s put in the hands of people who can turn it into something meaningful,” said Iwan Nassimi, executive vice president of Nassimi.
The women’s workshop makes products to sell internationally, generating income for the artisans and supporting the nonprofit’s endeavors. Fabric is a key resource, but Reyes said sourcing enough high-quality material is challenging. Nassimi’s products offered a practical solution, providing durable, beautiful fabrics that could find a new life outside their original application.
“If we didn’t put it to use, the fabric was going to end up in a landfill,” Reyes said. “There is something so empowering about creating beauty and then giving it away and inviting other people into it.”
The transformation extends beyond the products, supporting New Hope Girls’ approach to working with women who have experienced difficult circumstances, providing employment, training, and a dignified workplace while additional programs support girls through rescue, refuge, education, and long-term care.
The impact is visible in seemingly ordinary things. Reyes said women gain enough economic independence to leave unhealthy relationships. A new daycare allows artisans to have their children nearby and participate more fully in their children’s lives, breaking family cycles.
Domen also noticed a progression in women’s lives. On a subsequent trip, Domen recognized that one of the girls she met during her first visit was now living in New Hope Girls’ university house and attending college. The nonprofit’s capacity to employ more women grew, too.
For her, however, a valuable lesson from Nassimi’s partnership with New Hope Girls is the approach to materials.
“What wasn’t perfect is made perfect in something else,” Domen said. “I like the fact that it’s two organizations doing what they can with what they have and not wasting anything.”
This perspective is a useful lens for the design industry where materials can lose commercial value long before they lose their usefulness. Although a fabric no longer fits a customer’s specifications, it may work in another application. A material sitting in a warehouse can become a product that generates income and opportunities.
"I think it’s about looking at what you have and asking whether it can be useful somewhere else, rather than assuming its value ends when it no longer serves its original purpose," Nassimi said. "We make materials for upholstery, but seeing those same materials become beautiful handbags and accessories, and more importantly, help create jobs and income for those who need it most, is a great reminder that there are a lot of ways our industry can make a difference."
New Hope Girls receives materials from other companies, too, demonstrating the value of establishing new relationships. Reyes has worked with companies with excess or event-related materials that would have been discarded but instead were transformed into bags and backpacks, creating another connection between sustainability and social impact.
For the design community questioning their role, Domen said, “I hope they will look outside the box the way I did. That’s the biggest thing. Don’t be afraid to ask.”
Reyes said the invitation is equally simple: Reach out. The nonprofit can work with potential partners to explore inventory and product possibilities.
“Our partnership with Nassimi is fundamental to the success of our program,” Reyes said. “Their generously donated materials help support and fund vital programs that benefit and empower our global community of girls and women.”
The Nassimi partnership began when Domen noticed an opportunity for products considered unusable. A material donation blossomed into a relationship centered on the notion that value can be repurposed and shared.
“What’s really powerful is that the bags are just one part of a much bigger picture,” Nassimi explained. “They help create employment and income, but they’re also connected to the safe housing, education, and support that New Hope provides. For us, it makes the support feel very tangible; we can actually see how our materials are crafted into products that help create opportunity and independence. Several people in our office use the bags from New Hope Girls daily, and seeing them is always a nice reminder of the good work that we are doing together.”
Maybe that is where the plus side of design begins: seeing the material treasure in front of us and sharing the hope of what it could become.
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About the Author
Lauren BrantLauren Brant
Staff Writer, interiors+sources and BUILDINGS
Lauren Brant is Staff Writer for both interiors+sources and BUILDINGS. She is an award-winning editor and reporter whose work has appeared in daily and weekly newspapers. In 2020, the weekly newspaper won the Rhoades Family Weekly Print Sweepstakes—the division winner across the state's weekly newspapers. Lauren was also awarded the top feature photo across Class A papers. She holds a B.A. in journalism and media communications from Colorado State University-Fort Collins and a M.S. in organizational management from Chadron State College.