Buy Clothes That Give Back

An increasing trend that I am experiencing amongst family and various social circles, is the desire to support fashion designers, retailers, and labels, that "give back" to the community in a charitable way. It is a brilliant opportunity to raise consumer awareness in being more mindful and educated about why and how they purchase products or services. 

The Christmas season is viewed by most as the "season of giving" and most not-for-profit organizations receive the greatest influx of donations during these months. Stacey and I highly value and advocate community initiatives that help those in need. I would like to dedicate today's post to those in the fashion industry, from designers to retailers, who are passionate about helping those less fortunate. This is a very small sample of the many designers, retailers, businesses, etc. that value social responsibility. A Pleasury thanks you for all that you do!!

P.S. Keep these people and businesses in mind when you're doing your Christmas shopping this month!

1) JACOB CLOTHING - On October 25, 2010, JACOB's press release announced that they were going to "invite its clients to give their clothing a new lease on life." They joined forces with Goodwill and Renaissance to collect 50,000 articles of clothing to help women in need. Basically, JACOB will give a 25% discount on any regular priced JACOB or JACOB Lingerie item for every article of clothing donated. Not only do women in need benefit from this amazing initiative, so do the  customers. For more information on this excellent initiative click on the image below.

2) COZULU - These crocheted kiddie hats are stylish, fun, and will keep your little one's head warm! For every hat purchased, Cozulu donates a hat to an organization that benefits children. Click on the below image of this cutie patootie to check out their website.

3) SHABBY APPLE - This is a great company that inspires others to "share the word" about making a difference. Shabby Apple is an online dress company that donates a portion of the proceeds from each dress sold to help women in developing countries achieve financing to start their own businesses and provide for their families. Clicking on the below image will take you straight to their lovely website to learn more about their charitable work.

4) UNDER ARMOUR ATHLETIC CLOTHING - Are committed to helping fund breast cancer research. The company's "Power In Pink" campaign includes zip hoodies, tops, pants, shorts, socks, sweatbands, and more. For every article of clothing purchased, Under Armour donates $2 to breast cancer charities such as the American Breast Cancer Foundation, ASL Cancer Fund, Casting For Recovery, and BreastCancer.org. For the athletic female on your Christmas list, check out underarmour.com (again, click on image below to navigate their fabulous work out clothes!)

5) H&M - In 2008 H&M and Designers Against Aids (DAA) partnered to launch a fashion collection called Fashion Against Aids (FAA). The goal of the collection is to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS amongst youth and 25% of sales is donated towards HIV/AIDS prevention projects.So far this year the FAA has raised USD 4.3 million!! Fabulous!! For more info on the DAA and the FAA, go to www.hm.com.