Two Texas Businesswomen Launch Fashion Full Circle To Empower and Lift Up Other Women
Sterling Woerner and Kelly Winget Join Forces to Build a Community and Their First Event is a Houston Success
BY PC Studios // 05.12.22Kelly Winget and Sterling Woerner (Photo by Alondra Martinez)
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When Fashion Full Circle founders Kelly Winget and Sterling Woerner connected on LinkedIn, the businesswomen immediately found a kinship born from mutual interests and the desire to support women pursuing the best for themselves.
“Powerful women empower other women,” Woerner says. It’s a mantra both Winget and Woerner know quite a bit about. Winget, founder of Alternative Wealth Partners, successfully raised almost a billion dollars in private capital for private placement opportunities. But after 10 years she decided it was time to move in a new direction.
“I wanted to shift my experience to give everyone access to these kinds of investments,” Winget says. “I’m focused on giving back to the female powerhouses out there.”
Woerner is also passionate about elevating women on the inside and out, and knows the power that comes with feeling confident in your own skin — and clothing that’s made just for you. Her custom suiting brand called Sterling Suits outfits women from head to toe in pieces that hold their own in the boardroom, while also transitioning to weekend brunch. The fabrics are luxe and the construction is flawless because Woerner’s clientele deserves nothing less than the very best.
“I reach powerful, successful women,” Woerner says. “These pieces are confidence builders. My clients go to work looking and feeling great.”
With their goals aligned, the two women decided to create an experience that would not only bring other like-minded women together but also enrich the community — something both Woerner and Winget are equally passionate about.
The first annual Fashion Full Circle event took place at Lawless Spirits and Kitchen in downtown Houston. It benefited Dress for Success, a nonprofit organization that provides professional attire for low income women while they interview for jobs. The evening was equal parts networking and fashion show, with plenty of laughter along the way.
“I asked myself, ‘What is my purpose outside of my career? What is success without significance?’ ” Woerner says. “I want to give back to my community.”
After working in the often male-dominated oil and gas industry, Winget also saw the need to make a difference, showing women the road to financial literacy and true wealth.
“Give a woman a dollar, and she will take that dollar farther and invest it back to the community. There’s a higher return,” Winget says.
Keeping It Smart — and Women Powered
Smart and yes, even sexy suiting, was the requested dress code and women from finance, software and banking complied, most donning their bespoke Sterling Suits for the evening.
The highlight of the Fashion Full Circle event was a fashion show, featuring Sterling Suits clients, showcasing the versatility of each piece. While guests sipped cocktails and noshed on light bites, models worked the runway, pairing a sports coat with a tank and denim for brunch or a custom skirt with sneakers and a tee. Fanciful lining and hues of all kinds made quite the fashionable impression.
It’s roughly a six-week turnaround from the first consult to delivery, but once Woerner knows her client’s lifestyles and needs, she will connect with them regarding new fabrics and shapes.
Guests were asked to bring clothing donations for Dress For Success and the nonprofit’s president Lauren Levicki Courville spoke about the power a well-fitting wardrobe can have on a woman’s career and self esteem. Over the past 24 years, Dress for Success has helped more than 76,000 women.
“You are empowering women and giving them the opportunity,” Levicki Courville told the crowd.
Winget and Woerner have plans for additional community outreach and the evolution of Fashion Full Circle. Both are committed to other charitable organizations, but this one has a special place in their hearts.
“We want to nurture this for generations to come. You look and feel good, so you can say to yourself, ‘Now, let’s go get that job,’ ” Winget says.
“This came to fruition very organically. Kelly and I have the same goals and there’s no limit to what we can accomplish,” Woerner adds.
Fashion Full Circle is another example of what happens when powerful women join forces for good. And to think, this duo is just getting started.
To learn more about Fashion Full Circle and Kelly Winget and Sterling Woerner’s Alternate Wealth Partners, click here.