Fashion Delivers (Your Help)

17 cases of new clothes. Out the door and express mailed to Haiti.

Although the disaster may be making its way to the back of our minds here in the US, it’s still something that people deal with daily in Haiti. With the economy being as tough as it is, I can definitely understand people’s hesitation to keep giving more and more, but there are other ways to help besides giving money like I pointed out in a previous post. Here’s yet another way you can help the victims of the Haiti disaster without spending a dime:

FASHION DELIVERS is coordinating efforts to send new products to our neighbors in Haiti who have been devastated by what very well may be the worst natural disaster to have ever hit the western hemisphere. It has been reported that hundreds of thousands of people may have lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more have been left homeless and without life’s most basic necessities.

Fashion Delivers is mobilizing to provide immediate assistance! They need a broad assortment (in all sizes) of lightweight apparel for men and women, such as t-shirts, tops, shirts, jeans, shorts, slacks, sportswear, active wear, etc. Basic items such as underwear, socks, sheets and throws or lightweight blankets as well as baseball caps, sneakers, sandals and sleepwear are also needed. Rest assured, your product donations of these essentials WILL reach the victims for which they are intended and will help them cope with this tragedy. This is a massive humanitarian crisis. Your donation of product will make the difference in so many people’s lives who have lost everything.

Please contact Fashion Delivers at 212-629-6700 or e-mail carla@fashiondelivers.org for any questions that you may have.

[Via Staple Design]

Tags: donate, fashion delivers, haiti

You Buy. We Give. 141.

Follow 141 on Twitter | Join 141′s Facebook Page | Visit 141 Eyewear

Tom’s Shoes has made some amazing progress with their 1-for-1 cause. So much in fact that they have spread like wildfire on the retail front and are, reportedly, working on a “premier shoe” for higher-end markets ($75-150 USD). Like I was saying before, it seems to make things easier for people to help when they are getting something in turn for their buck. Take that as you will, but if that ultimately means that those in need will benefit more readily (and consistently), it’s doing its job and then some. 141 Eyewear seems to have adopted Tom’s 1-for-1 philosophy for the opposite end of the body – your eyes!

When I first checked it out, I was skeptical that they would be some bargain basement excuses for glasses – lazily strewn together and unbelievably fashion backward. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Kyle and Shu-Chu, the masterminds behind the specs, clearly have a passion for the field. The glasses reflect a conscious artistry and careful craftsmanship that would make most reconsider the $400 frames they just bought. Even moreso, these glasses can look great on anyone worldwide. And as much as that doesn’t sound like a major feat, I’m talking about spanning across not only global trend patterns, but also socioeconomic levels and climate conditions. They can be just as much about eye jewelry as much as they are about function. And that’s not an easy thing to do.

Considering the fact that my current frames can barely be considered glasses anymore after smashing them on the pavement during a fixed gear bike accident, these specs are right up there on my “must have” list for 2010.

“Every day, you make simple, critical choices. But it’s not everyday that your choice can necessarily make a difference. It’s not everyday that your choice will immediately change someone’s life. When you choose 141 Eyewear, we act on your behalf. For every pair of 141 Eyewear purchased, we give a new pair of prescription glasses to a person in need. No portions of proceeds. No percentages. You buy, we give. One Four One.”

Why Eyewear?

“What if you could not afford glasses? Would you be able to work? Read? Cook? Recognize your children? Would you be able to drive? How much would you be able to enjoy the things you cherish in your life?
According to the World Health Organization, 153 million people cannot see simply because they do not have access to corrective eyewear and/or cannot afford proper vision care. We have seen first hand what it is like for many of these children and adults to live without glasses. Children cannot see the blackboard clearly; as a result, they lose interest in school and hinder their chances of realizing their potential. For many adults, work is difficult to find and many everyday activities such as reading a book are not possible because these people simply cannot see clearly.

But…

When a child receives a pair of glasses, suddenly the blackboard becomes clear. Schoolwork gets better. Participation in extracurricular activities gets better. Life gets better. For adults, finding work is easier. Books and newspapers become readable. Faces of loved ones become recognizable. The ability to commute gets better. Life gets better.
Something as small as a pair of glasses has the power to change a person’s life and open up a whole new world of possibilities.” [Via 141 Eyewear]

Follow 141 on Twitter | Join 141′s Facebook Page | Visit 141 Eyewear

Tags: 141 eyewear

AKIRA in HAITI

I got this e-mail yesterday, so I can’t really take any credit for seeking this out, but it’s great to see a brand like Akira getting out there and doing their part to help the relief effort.

I believe there has been over $5,000,000 USD raised for Haiti thusfar, but the struggles continue as distribution efforts for food, medicine and water have been both slow and uneven. Can you tell I’ve been watching a little bit more CNN in the mornings at work? But in all seriousness, it’s been brutally sad seeing how many people have lost their loves ones, how many others have turned to desperation (and as a consequence, violence at times) just to survive and gut retching/painful to watch peril live. Just the other day CNN showed a scene where a girl’s leg was pinned under falling debris from a building. You could hear her screaming out in the background, but no machinery/enough tools were available to free her. They were forced to consider amputation as their only solution. What’s even worse is that early this morning (Jan 20) there was a 6.1 magnitude AFTERSHOCK that hit Haiti just a week after the initial 7.0 devastator. You can read about the aftershock a bit more here.

But anyway, please continue to help in any way you can. This disaster is far from over and with Akira’s efforts here, it’s clear to see that your help doesn’t have to just be monetary. If you’re interested in dropping by an Akira store, but don’t know if there’s one close to you, click here for store locations.

Tags: akira, haiti

Gaga x Beats x AIDS

Ra ra ooh la la…Gaga has gotten together with Dr. Dre and (PRODUCT)RED to put out a “Red” variant of the very popular “Beats” headphones. I’ve always wanted to pick up a set of these for those late night design and post-processing sessions so I can blast the music loud and let the neighbors get some Z’s. Now that they’re red (both color and in cause), I’m finding very little to hold me back from finally pulling the trigger – these things sound seriously good…and now have a great cause behind them too.

“Two new products have been announced by Beats by Dr. Dre – they have added Diddy to their collection and present the Diddy Beats. Lady Gaga and (red) get together to fight AIDS with collaborative Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. The new Monster (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition Beats Solo Headphone will be available in early February at several US and UK retailers for $229.95.”

[Via CtotheJL]

Tags: (product)red, beats by dr. dre, headphones, lady gaga

Needs for Sale

Back in 2007, a New York artist duo created Wants for Sale, a site where they offer up paintings they’ve made of anything they want to buy. Literally anything. Some of the paintings on there range from a “Sham-Wow” for $28.30 USD to “Financial Security” for $1,000,000 USD. For the bargain hunter, there’s some “instant street cred” for a buck. Pretty cool idea and I think they thought so too with their new site, Needs for Sale. It’s essentially the same concept as the “Wants” page, but instead of contributing to the artists’ personal purchases, anyone visiting Needs for Sale site are given the chance to support charitable causes.

A Place to Play – $250 USD

New York Cares

Phone Calls for Our Troops – $250 USD

American Red Cross

As you can probably tell, every painting on Needs for Sale represents a cause the artists (and you) would like to support. Whatever the cause may be, 100 percent of every sale is donated to the cause represented. And although the two examples I posted above are both $250 USD, pricing does reflect the cause. Pricing varies with the cause represented. Paintings of a toilet and kitchen sink, for example, both yielded donations of $100 USD each to Habitat for Humanity.

“In a world where charitable consumers are constantly bombarded with cries for help, there’s something attractive about the simplicity of buying a painting to support a specific cause. Perhaps even more compelling, however, is the tangible, stylish and unique proof of their generosity consumers get in return. It may not be a building named in their honour, but it still goes far beyond the typical tote bag or umbrella to provide one-of-a-kind evidence with a story that can then be proudly displayed and discussed with friends and family far and wide. Nonprofits around the world: time to find a sympathetic artist to partner with!” [Via Springwise]

Although it may be troubling to some that people need to get something in order to give, you can’t deny its effectiveness in unconventionally and creatively raising money (and awareness) to real world cause. This, along with the DJ AM Memorial Fund, Shop & Share and many others represent a much more attuned generation of charitable outposts looking to attract not only the purely philanthropic, but also maybe those who need a little motivation to take out their checkbooks.

All paintings on Needs for Sale are created on 2-inch-deep gallery canvas, come ready to hang and shipping is available worldwide.

Tags: needs for sale

Project Heal Manila Awareness Video

While looking back on the Project Heal Manila launch that Yoshi posted up on Fatlace, I decided it’d be a good idea to check up and see how the effort was going. It’s always encouraging to see projects like this going on.

“Project Heal Manila is a global organization dedicated to supporting sustainable community-based projects designed to empower the youth of the Philippines.

Project Heal Manila here to raise awareness about the current situation in the Philippines, the damage caused by Typhoon Ondoy and the ongoing relief efforts of our fellow Fil-Ams here in the US and back home.” – Via Rule 4080

You can see some photos from the launch party back in October here. They actually put together a video that I saw on Ondoy Photos the other day (scroll down to check it out). Unfortunately, they don’t have a website up yet, but you can join their mailing list while the site is being built.

[Via Ondoy Photos]

Tags: ondoy, project heal manila

Try Walking in Your Shoes

I had to wait until I got back from my trip to the Philippines to try these on, but I did end up winning a pair of shoes from the DJ AM Memorial Fund Auction I talked about in a previous post. I originally bid on three pairs of shoes, but having no internet en route to Japan made it a bit difficult to place any new offers on the table before the auctions expired.

Nevertheless, I was happy to donate to the cause – regardless of how small my contribution really was. I ended up winning some blue Nike Air Force 2 High’s. Yeah I know they aren’t the much more infamous AF1s, but my shoe collection is much more about the diversity than it is about the rare pieces. Just picked up my first pairs of Nike Terminators and Air Max 1′s also. Woot!

Okay okay anyway…when I opened up the package, I was pleased to find a little acknowledgement of authenticity with matching numbers on the shoes themselves. It was a nice little touch and it really seemed like the Creative Visions Foundation put some thought into what a sneakerhead would like to see when they received their shoes in the mail. All that aside, they did an amazing job putting together an auction to benefit a very worthy (and real) cause worldwide. Great job to the CVF and congratulations to all those that bid (and won) online.

Tags: auction, creative visions foundation, dj am memorial fund, sneakers