Inside Little Words Project’s new collaboration with The Shop at Equinox.
Could kindness be contagious?
The latest research from the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute underscores the profound impact of witnessing acts of kindness, even among strangers. According to studies, it can enhance your outlook on the world and significantly increase your likelihood of performing acts of kindness yourself. While evidence-based science is still catching up, Little Words Project founder Adriana Carrig knows the power of kindness all too well.
Her jewelry brand, famous for its bracelets with inspirational and empowering phrases, is dedicated to creating a community of kindness. In this exclusive interview, Carrig shares the journey of the Little Words Project and its new collaboration with The Shop at Equinox to continue its commitment to a holistic sense of self-love and well-being.
The Idea Behind Little Words Project
Growing up in a small town in New Jersey, Carrig faced bullying and struggled to find her place in the world. “I grew up hungry for true friendships and community,” she says. So, she crafted a bracelet to create more positivity in her life. “My first bracelet ever said ‘laugh,’ and it reminded me to find joy in the muck and laugh through negativity and noise,” she says.
Her experiences with bullying traveled with her into her college years and fueled her passion for making bracelets to help others who might be going through similar challenges. "I wanted to create something people could hold onto during tough times. Eventually, I built the community that I always sought growing up," she says.
The bracelets are meant to be more than just fashion accessories; they are tools for supporting emotional well-being and enhancing self-empowerment. “My mission is to design something that could be a daily reminder to be kind to themselves and others,” she adds. The bracelets, adorned with words like “hope,” “strength,” and brave,” serve as personal tokens of encouragement. “The idea is to wear it for as long as needed and then pass it on. And in that pay-it-forward element is the community-building aspect, and it's meant to be a vehicle of kindness that can live on,” she says.
A Journey of Growth
What started as a passion project with a heartfelt mission became a widely recognized brand in 2013. “I started a version of the bracelets while I was in my college sorority, and it was meant to keep the love circulating amongst this group of 60 women,” says Carrig. “It worked. After I graduated and saw the women keeping up with the tradition, it was that a-ha moment that the bracelets could be something for the masses.”
What sets the brand apart is a traceable code on each bracelet that connects you to a loyal community of people who share her vision of kindness and are eager to be part of the movement: “The idea is to use the code to connect the bracelet to our website and as the bracelet passes along from person to person, you can track where the bracelet has been and the stories lived,” she says.
I built the community that I essentially always sought growing up.
In addition, craftsmanship and quality have always been a major point of difference for the brand. “When you hold one of our bracelets and pull and wear-test them, they always maintain their circular shape,” says Carrig. “We are strongly committed to quality assurance and do a robust stress test process for safety with the utmost intentionality behind every bracelet.”
With Little Words Project also available in brick-and-mortar stores nationwide, Carrig attributes her brand’s success to her entrepreneurial spirit, genuine passion for kindness, and family. “My mom, who’s a Mexican immigrant, was also such a large part of the growth of this brand — stringing bracelets along with me,” she says. “She has always drilled into me the saying, ‘Querer es poder,’ which translates to, ‘If you want it, you can achieve it.’ I hope to pass that belief down to my own kids.
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Fostering a Community with Equinox
The collaboration with Equinox represents a significant milestone for taking Little Words Project’s vision to the next level. “Equinox’s commitment to health and wellness as a holistic experience aligns with our brand,” says Carrig. “We’re part jewelry brand, but we’re also part wellness company, part kindness company, part community company. We’re all about the whole individual and making sure we are intentional about what we say and do and how we layer intention on our bodies. Equinox is committed to the same things, just through different modalities. When you’re trying to be your best self, it’s more than just commitment to showing up every day; it's also believing that you can and looking down at your wrist and reminding yourself of that strength.”
Equinox is known for its holistic approach to fitness, emphasizing not just physical health but also mental and emotional well-being: “It’s about building your armor with your physical body but what you adorn yourself with every day and the mindset you want to approach every day,” says Carrig.
There are three Little Words Project bracelets exclusive to The Shop, including a black and white “Equinox” bracelet, a monochromatic gray “Equinox” bracelet, and a white and gray bracelet adorned with the phrase “Limitless.” “When you think about what we’re trying to achieve on our personal wellness journeys, we’re often met with self-limiting beliefs,” says Carrig. “We can be our own worst critic. But the word ‘limitless’ reminds us that we’re truly without limit, and if we can let that word ring true for us in the middle of a workout, it unlocks so much of what we’re all capable of.”
Among other standouts in the Little Words Project collection available in The Shop is the colorful “Be True” bracelet, which has a charitable component. Twenty-five percent of sales from this bracelet will benefit Campus Pride to develop resources to support LGBTQIA+ students. “We’ve been working with Campus Pride for a few years,” says Carrig. “They’ve been a wonderful partner in our Little Words, Big Impact program, an arm of our business designed with the purpose of giving back — through it, we’ve been able to donate nearly $1 million to our various charitable partners. ”
Looking Ahead
As the Little Words Project continues to expand, Carrig remains laser-focused. The collaboration with Equinox is one of the many initiatives aimed at reaching more people and positively impacting their lives. “We have more store openings on the horizon as well as the release of my first book called The Power of Little Words, coming out in September,” she says.
In a world where negativity often dominates, kindness is needed now more than ever, says Carrig. “We are in an era where we’re the most connected we’ve ever been, but the loneliest as well,” she explains. “In the digital world of trolls and online bullying, I’m thankful every day that social media wasn’t around when I was growing up. The bracelet and the community we’re building both in real life and digitally is meant to be a safe place for kind people that we desperately need in the world.”
Click here to shop the exclusive Little Words Project x Equinox collection.
Headshot: Gail Job Photography // Secondary photo: Conor Doherty