Turns out it is possible to be fashionably conscious while supporting a cause. 

Tenfold Collective owner Misty Burton gives proof that fashion isn’t just surface level with her company, which she said she started after learning  “way too much” about human trafficking.

The shop was established as a brick-and-mortar store In Lexington at 115 East Main St. in August of last year, but the company has had an online presence for five years, having started humbly in January 2018. Prior to opening the store, Burton used a website, social media and the store’s app to reach customers.

“I started with a fundamental mission to raise awareness about human trafficking,” Burton said, adding she started with “one pair of earrings.”

“All of this grew from that,” Burton said. “We now represent 60 partners from around the world.”

In addition to jewelry, the shop now sells apparel, home goods and more. According to its website, Tenfold gives back a portion of its profits to “fight human trafficking and support organizations that support vulnerable women and youth.”

Many of the brand partners that Burton has brought to her store hire people who have survived trafficking and are looking to make a living using their natural talents. Not all companies hire trafficking survivors, Burton points out, adding that companies that are women-owned or women-empowered are ones she wants to promote at her store. 

Burton pointed to Purpose, one of the store’s first partners, as an example. The company employs trafficking survivors, and each piece of jewelry has a survivor’s signature on the back.

Another company Burton points out is Starfish, which not only employs survivors but cares for survivors' physical or mental needs.

“We’re a story brand and want to be able to tell you about those napkins made by people in India,” Burton said. “When you come into the store, you let their story shine through.”

When it came to the name of her effort, she put in a lot of thought.

“The word ‘tenfold' kept coming to me and I couldn’t shake it,” she said. “We’re a brick-and-mortar now but we’re also a community with a posture of generosity. I like being more than a place.”

Tenfold supports two nonprofits, the Lexington County-based Lighthouse for Life and the global International Justice Mission.

Burton has a full-time and a part-time employee who help in the store. Mandy Cheatham, the full-time employee, used to work for Lighthouse for Life. She and Burton are lifelong friends.

Cheatham continues to bring awareness to human trafficking in a different way.

“A lady came in when we were about to close and said, ‘As a woman of faith there’s not a lot of places that bring me joy and hope. I can tell y’all are doing great things,’” said Cheatham. “It’s neat to have people come in and have heard about us through conversations. We’re not afraid of that – tough conversations.”

Tenfold Collective is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find out more at tenfold-collective.com.