FEED me

Lauren Bush is pretty darn cool. Born into a powerful family, she was faced with the choice of using her power for good or evil. She has clearly chosen good.



The FEED bag started a trend, which is the best way to start a movement and generate some authentic buzz: people wanted the bag for the BAG, and then secondarily because it was a symbol of doing something good (some may argue here). Their mission: to create good products that help FEED the world. They pride themselves on "using environmentally-friendly and artisan-made materials, along with fair-labor production, in creating all FEED products." And they use the phrase "feeding the world, one bag at a time." Proceeds benefit five or six international NPO's whose activites include (but aren't necessarily restricted to) anti-hunger efforts. And by partnering with a couple dozen chain retailers (plus an online store), FEED products are placed in front of hundreds of thousands of shoppers as another option to their next handbag or cosmetics case. Good work, FEED.

The Body Shop

The Body Shop is a unique company that broke all corporate rules on how to become a massive success. Business took a backseat to activism. They don’t test on animals, they use natural ingredients from around the world, they’re sustainable- and they give, give, give.

The company was built around the social activism of their dynamic founder, Anita Roddick; in her own words, "we entrepreneurs are loners, vagabonds, troublemakers. Success is simply a matter of finding and surrounding ourselves with those open-minded and clever souls who can take our insanity and put it to good use." We agree, and we love this attitude.

The Body Shop launched a 3-year campaign in conjunction with ECPAT, an organization with satellite offices around the world focused on ending child prostitution, child pornography, and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. Through unique advertising campaigns including a portion of proceeds from Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream and the Bags for Life, Stop The Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign has donated over a million dollars to anti-trafficking organizations.

If you want to buy smarter this holiday season, visit a local Body Shop where you will find products that value the planet first, and profit second.

ALLSAINTS

AllSaints Spitalfields has joined a new international effort to fight human trafficking and end modern day slavery. While the fashion world tends to focus on environmental impact and product sourcing, AllSaints is innovating and moving into a space that does not receive the attention it needs and deserves.

The trafficking of women and children alone tarnishes the lives of over 2 million people a year. In the United States, we allocate more money to the war against drugs in a single day than we do against modern-day slavery in an entire year.

Companies like AllSaints are taking a stand. A British High Street retailer, which produces clothing aimed towards a progressive/fashion-forward niche market, Allsaints has over 70 stores in the UK and abroad. To look good and feel good, check out their t-shirt collection here.

The Bridal Garden

Amy is getting hitched!  She is awash is pre-marital bliss, websites and mags, and of course trying to be green and socially conscious about the whole affair. Always looking for a way to give back, Amy began looking for creative ways to make the wedding planning sustainable, which led to an appointment at The Bridal Garden.

The Bridal Garden is a dress shop based in Chelsea, NY that opened in 1998 as the fundraising arm for a charity supporting youth development.  It later grew into its own entity, but stayed true to the early vision: proceeds now benefit Brooklyn Charter School in Bed-Stuy.  The storefront is an appointment-based dress shop full of sample wedding dresses from famous designers like Vera Wang, Mon Cheri, Judd Waddell and Ulla-Maija.

The bridal industry is ripe for new business: gown appointments are shockingly hard to come by (J. Crew Bridal gave Amy a three-month wait for a weekend appointment) and there will always be a steady stream of new brides (from engagements, and from divorces--ear muffs, Amy!).  It’s also fairly recession-proof, thanks to the wedding industry and to Disney: let's face it, isn’t everyone basically shooting to look like Cinderella on their wedding day?  

The Bridal Garden isn’t cheap (most were around the $2K range), and many of the dresses unfortunately reflect their past: samples that have been tried and tossed for years.  But for brides looking for a designer label at closer to a David's-Bridal-price, this is a great contender.  And knowing that all proceeds benefit underfunded education programs is a huge plus in an industry where normally, brides are throwing down thousands for a brand-new item they will wear only once.  The shop assures customers that the dresses can be cleaned up and tailored to fix the flaws, with plenty of testimonials to boot.

Overall, the Bridal Garden has a great model: recycling materials within a wasteful wedding industry and generating funding for education!