Adriana Carrig of Little Words Project
Adriana Carrig didn’t set out to be a big time businesswoman - her goal was simply to be nice to people, and to encourage people to be nice to each other. In the process, she created a thriving brand and a worldwide movement.
As a kid, Adriana had seen and felt the effects of bullying, and she couldn’t make sense of why her peers would be so mean. The cruelty didn’t stop in college, but at that point, Adriana had an idea for how to combat it. She began circulating handmade bracelets with words of empowerment among her sorority sisters; when one girl had been inspired by her bracelet’s word long enough, she would pass it along to someone else who needed the inspiration. Although she’d never imagined herself as an entrepreneur - her plan had been to go to law school - Adriana decided to pivot and put her creativity to good use. She set up shop in her parents’ basement and, with her mom and dad helping to string beads and pack orders, she built Little Words Project. Since the beginning, the brand has supported nonprofits and organizations with special collections; the business has grown significantly with retailers nationwide and a flagship store on Bleecker Street in Manhattan; and the community built by registering and sharing bracelets has remained totally unique to Little Words Project.
ONE WORD: What’s the word that inspires you?
NAME: Adriana Carrig
CITY: Caldwell, NJ
WHY IS THE PHYSICAL PASSING OF BRACELETS SO IMPORTANT TO LWP? Little Words Project is a fast growing purpose-driven brand all about self-love, inclusion, positivity, and empowerment. Our handcrafted bracelets with words of positivity and encouragement are meant to be worn and then eventually passed along to someone else who needs a mood-boost. We put such a strong emphasis on the passing of the bracelet as it is truly meant to spread kindness by lifting up those around us, one bracelet at a time. The unique code on the tag of the bracelet that you register on our website allows you to follow its journey as it travels from wrist to wrist - reading about every individual’s story and how that word helped them through a difficult time.
MOST POPULAR BRACELET? Our most popular words from our core collection are Grateful and Believe - two words that have been with LWP from the start and will continue to stick with us for years to come (I still wear them on my wrist everyday!). Boy Mom and Good Energy are also our best selling bracelets that everyone has been obsessing over as well!
SOMETHING THAT’S ALWAYS ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND? Aside from my stack of Little Words bracelets of course, you can always find my big water bottle and a candle on my nightstand. As a new working mom, I try to remind myself to hydrate and relax before bed (although it seems impossible most days!).
Follow @littlewordsproject