Cause Couture
FASHION STATEMENTS: (clockwise from top left) one of Social Goodies' fun and fashionable summer offerings; Ohio-based women's apparel company Project Iris; the official benefit T-shirt for the "Unofficial 'Star Wars' Day at Disneyland" "Peace" shirt by Project Iris; Old Navy's pro-tolerance Tee; and the Wild Foundation's anti-bullying bracelet.
"Star Wars Fans and Entrepreneurial Fashionistas Find Fun Ways to Support Worthy Causes With Cool Couture
Some fashion forward folks just aren’t content to let the likes of Bono, Oprah and Madonna attempt to single-handedly save the world through philanthropy. In fact, a number of notable apparel industry entrepreneurs and charity-minded organizations are using their business smarts and savvy style to tackle adversity and support and promote worthy social causes.
One of the more recent fun, out of this world charity-supporting ventures took place last weekend when hundreds of Star Wars fans hit warp speed over to Anaheim for the seventh annual ""“Unofficial Star Wars Day at Disneyland.”"" The yearly event always includes the sale of an official “Unofficial” t-shirt designed by celebrated comic illustrator Matthew Rice with proceeds going to support The American Cancer Society. And yes, young Jedis, even though the event has passed -- and it was aweseome! -- you can still ""order a T-shirt"" and support the cause while gleefully embracing your inner nerd.
Like the organizers of the Star Wars/Disneyland event, Oakland, Calif.-based ""Oh Carol Magnetic Jewelry"" is helping to raise awareness of another worthy cause through its ""Wild Foundation"". Company founder and owner Carol Wild has designed ""original jewelry"" for the ""It Gets Better Project"", with 50% of net proceeds supporting the anti-bullying campaign. Like those famous yellow “Live Strong” bracelets, the Wild Foundation accessories identify the wearer as a supporter of a worthy cause, and the collection, which includes a bracelet, necklace and choker, is comprised of magnetic material that is believed to have pain-reducing properties.
Earlier this year, ""Old Navy"" debuted its support for the It Gets Better Project with a series of limited edition ""Old Navy pride T-shirts"" that are available at the retail giant until June 30 -- although the vibrant shirts have been selling out at many big city Old Navy locations. Ten percent of sales from the shirts will support the project.
Last month, the Los Angeles-based e-commerce fashions and accessories website ""Social Goodies"" debuted with the promise of donating 20% of its gross proceeds from purchases of its ""eclectic fun and stylish offerings"" to a select number of popular non-profits. A savvy and successful pre-launch marketing campaign led to the cyber-retail newbie donating a check for over $20,000 to the American Red Cross’ Japanese Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund a month before the site’s hard launch on May 23.
The Groupon-esque website offers deals at up to 70% off retail on fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands and allows customers to choose which charity among a select list will receive their donation. The list of causes to choose from recently included ""Doctors Without Borders"", ""Teach for America"" and ""The Nature Conservancy"".
“The driving force behind Social Goodies is our desire to create a platform to raise a significant sum of money for a select number of trusted charitable organizations that make a positive and lasting impact on society,” says Social Goodies founder and president Carie Salter, an Ivy Leaguer who balances managing Social Goodies with her roles as co-director of Harvard Business School Community Partners, which provides pro-bono business and marketing consulting services to non-profits in the greater Los Angeles area.
“My grandparents infused in me a belief in giving back to the community,” Salter says about the in spiration behind Social Goodies and her tireless activist efforts. "My grandfather was the only person I’ve ever known who would encounter homeless people on the street and take them out to dinner. He was very philanthropically involved and influenced me tremendously. I remember planning a canned food drive in middle school. I realized that one person can be impactful. Even if we all do just one small thing, it adds up to making a difference for a lot of people.”
Earlier this month, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based women’s apparel company ""Project Iris"" proved just how well cause couture is doing in the retail and social arenas when it announced that its annual revenue is up 61% from the debut launch of its flagship line last October.
Exemplifying a self-described "fashion philanthropy" m.o., Project Iris has, since its inception, partnered with ""World Food Program USA"", and 5% of each Project Iris sale will help provide meals for new mothers and their children in poverty-stricken areas of the world.
“There is a lot more to Project Iris than the striking clothes we produce,” says Project Iris CEO Neil Hoynes about the company's collection, which includes v-neck and scoop neck short and long sleeve shirts produced in soft burnout fabric and ringspun cotton and adorned with ""original feminine designs"". “This brand was developed with a purpose – to give women that like fashion an opportunity, through their own social consumerism, to easily contribute to causes that help other women. With this line, we intend to raise awareness, and funds, to positively impact world hunger, malnutrition and the health of women and children in developing countries. Our initial contribution to World Food Program USA provided meals to more than 12,500 mothers and children in need.
