Changing the world is as easy as crocheting a hat.

At least, that’s what Kohl Crecelius, 25, CEO and co-founder of Krochet Kids International believes. Crecelius may only be a few years out of the University of Washington, but he’s already one of the visionaries at the helm of an increasingly popular non-profit organization and hat company that visited Bellevue Square for a promotional trunk show Nov. 29. Krochet Kids International (KKi) helps women from Northern Uganda rise from poverty by first giving them a job crocheting hats, then providing them with mentorship, training and education over a period of three years. The idea is that when the women’s’ contracts are up, they will be able to take what they’ve learned to start their own businesses.

Crecelius along with his friends, Stewart Ramsey and Travis Hartanov have been crocheting since attending high school in Spokane, where the three grew up. Despite the grandmotherly connotations of crochet, Crecelius and his buddies (dubbed “the Krochet Kids” by the local newspaper from their hometown) reveled in the novelty of being dudes who crochet and use their own headwear on the mountain during snowboard season. Now, well-traveled, graduated from college and passionate mid 20-somethings, the Krochet Kids from Spokane have turned their hobby into a Nordstrom-quality product, but more importantly, into a program that helps women and their families in Northern Uganda.

Q & A

Bellevue Reporter: You visited Bellevue Square Nordstrom last week, Nov. 29, for a KKi trunk show. Nordstrom picked up your line two months ago in October. What’s it like to have your product sold by an upscale, national retailer?

Kohl Crecelius: As far we’re concerned, Nordstrom is the best we could possibly have. We weren’t selling to any national retailers before. Our online presence had always been good, but they really picked it up and it made all the difference. We were employing a group of 10 ladies [in Uganda], but then Nordstrom came to fruition. We now employ 87 women.

BR: What’s it like being a guy who crochets?

KC: We like that [crocheting] is just different. It’s not traditional. If you got to know us guys, you’d see that no one else has done the things we’ve done. Crocheting kind of fits inside that mold. In fact, it was my older brother who taught me how to crochet.

BR: When you buy a KKi hat, you can actually see the name of the lady who made it on the tag. On your website, you can read a bio of the lady who made your hat, and there’s even a way to send her a message to thank her. Why was this model of connecting the consumer and hat-maker important to you?

KC: For us, it comes back to authenticity. We wanted to help everybody understand that there are people whose lives maybe look different on paper, but they’re still a person with hopes and dreams and we wanted to showcase that. We didn’t want to show these women as simply impoverished or poor, but as the capable, confident faces of Uganda. The best way to make that process happen is to read about the lady who made your hat, how she wants to send her kids to school or have a career of her own.

BR: How do you recruit the ladies for your company?

KC: We rely heavily on our Ugandan staff, coordinating with local churches, aid organizations and other groups to get a pool of applicants who are really in the most vulnerable state. Our Ugandan staff takes into account how many other people, six, seven, eight or more sometimes, are relying on that woman in their family.

BR: How did you start your business?

KC: We actually started applying for our non-profit status and working on our business while we were midway through college, the 2006-2007 year, me at UW and the guys at VanGuard. As an international business major, I was actually turning in KKi business plans for class. We went to Uganda in 2007, the summer before our senior year of college. We decided on it because we had friends that were working there and a few other contacts, as well as it was an area that could truly benefit from a program like the one we could offer.

BR: Tell me about the mentorship and education the ladies receive while they are crocheting for your company.

KC: The first step is employment, which allows them to provide for their immediate needs. The second step is education, for many of the women, this is the first time they’ve had consistent income. We teach them how to manage money and why it’s important to save. It’s a lot of education surrounding finances, small business loans. There’s a mentor for every 15 ladies who’s really crucial. Her job is to say, ‘Hey did you understand everything? How does this apply to you?’

BR: What are some of the ladies’ success stories?

KC: They’ve started a broad range of businesses, but it’s cool because it doesn’t have to be business. One of our ladies Doreen, became certified to teach elementary school. Teddy is rearing goats. It’s not like these ladies are starting a fast-food chain, their businesses are culturally relevant. Other ladies are able to purchase land and are able to farm, other ladies having started a small community grocery store.

BR: Like TOMS Shoes, your hats are both aimed at making a difference in peoples’ lives, as well as being wearable and trendy. What sort of impact do you think companies like yours will have in the future of the fashion, clothing and accessories industry?

KC: We are really excited about the unique position we’re in. Unlike TOMS, we’re also a non-profit company. You can still, of course be a for-profit company and do great things. But we’re trying to raise the bar in the amount of good-doing. We tried to set ourselves apart with our model — it’s so much about the product and so much about the people. Too often, a humanitarian organization will be all about the people, just trying to sell the story without a great product, or perhaps be only a great business that makes a lot of money. We are pushing to land right in the middle.

BR: Why do you teach women how to crochet and not men?

KC: We’re not opposed to giving men opportunities, but our program is geared at women employees because she often has the biggest effect on her family. By providing her with a solid income, it has a direct effect on the rest of her family, their health and education.

BR: Talk to me about where your business is heading into the future?

KC: You’re talking with a bunch of dreamers. Long term, the sky is the limit. We’re going to take this model we’ve created in impoverished areas, and reinvest in women’s continued empowerment in even more communities.

BR: What’s it like being 25 and this successful?

KC: We are super humbled by it all. We’re not that successful. There’s so much to learn and so far to go. If you wanna do something to make a change, just start somewhere. People get so bogged down. You don’t have to start your own business organization to do good. Crocheting is something we loved to do and wanted to give back.

Krochet Kids International hats are sold at Bellevue Square Nordstrom downtown. For more information, go to krochetkids.org.

Beatrice, one of the 87 women who works for Krochet Kids Internaional in Northern Uganda, works on crocheting a hat. These women receive training and education during the three years they are employed by the hat company.

Courtesy of Kohl Crecelius