Chic with a Cause
With the holiday season just around the corner, I decided to research on chic products with a good cause. It was not an easy task as many of the options out there are not very trendy or inspiring. After sorting through my options, here are some offerings that I thought stroke a balance between design and good cause. So give the gift that keeps on giving! Delight the recipient with great designs and get the most out of your gifting experience.
Fenchurch
Bottletop ringpull bag from fenchurch is handmade in Brazil from old ringpulls. It’s got a very creative design using recycle products and all the proceeds from the bag goes to the charity Bottletop. The organization funds training programs to grow employment in Salvador and health education projects for the youth in the village. It’s refreshing to find something that’s got a great design, good for the environment and makes a difference in the community.
Alex Woo
The Little Pink Heart Necklace by Alex Woo was created especially to support women’s cancer research. The pink, suede ribbon can be worn as a necklace or around the wrist and the silver heart is a statement of strength and love for those who have survived or are battling cancer. Net proceeds from the sale of the Little Pink Heart Necklace go directly to the Women’s Cancer Research Fund.
Mia Joie
Mia Joie is founded by a part-time writing professor and offers stylish handmade shoes for babies and toddlers. Many of their items are also eco-friendly using organic cotton, bamboo jersey, eucalyptus, felt made from 100% post-consumer plastic, and reclaimed materials and trim. They are supporters of Giving Chirldren Hope with 10% of the sales proceeds going to the organization. Giving Children Hope is a non-profit organization that promotes family sustainability, economic independence, and self-sufficiency so that children may grow in stable environments.
WEE TIDINGS
WEE TIDINGS are mini greeting cards for any occassion. I especially like the Fresh Tidings line for the chic style. And as we become more environmentally conscious, using mini cards for a big message is the way to go! It’s also for a good cause, 5% of the profits are going to American Cancer Society.
Jacaranda Style
This weaver bowl is made out of three quarters of a natural ostrich egg shell. It’s polished and perched on three brushed metal legs and an eco-friendly product with the eggshells collected after the ostrich chick hatches. A portion of sales on JacarandaStyle is donated to the Ethembeni School for Disabled Youth in South Africa. Established in 1984, the school serves 300 physically disabled and visually impaired children from all over South Africa.
Body Shop
The Body Shop initiated a campaign Stop Violence in the Home in support of customers and employees to get active against domestic violence. Proceeds from the sale of every Daisy Soap are donated to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence to support the effort.
Lush
Lush is taking part in giving back to the community through its Charity Pot Body Lotion. 100% of the proceeds from the lotion is going to organizations of choice for a good cause.
Too Faced
This Love Lisa Beauty Battle Box is a beauty kit that came out of an inspiration of Too Faced creator Jerrod Blandino’s sister, who is battling skin cancer. Too Faced is donating 42% of the proceeds from the sale of this product to the Too Faced Cosmetics Love Lisa Grant (Jerrod Blandino’s sister), benefiting the Melanoma Research Foundation.
Reestore
Reestore offers home furnishings and accessories created out of everyday waste objects: reclaimed trolleys, reject barrows, space saving hanging chairs, stools with recycling capabilities. I love their design as it’s unique and chic with a twist.
Sephora
Sephora is helping to fight breast cancer with its collection of pink ribbon products. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to organization helping raise awareness and finding a cure for breast cancer.
Bonnie Marcus Collection
Bonnie Marcus Collection is a line of fashionable and eco-friendly stationery. Their stationery are printed on recycle paper and can be found in high end retailers such as Neiman-Marcus and Bloomingdale’s. When you purchase their products, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and other organizations promoting breast cancer awareness.
Babysoy
Babysoy offers newborn clothing created from eco-friendly soybean fiber. Babysoy is conscientious and green by using renewable natural resources as the raw material for our baby wear — which is the leftover pulp from tofu, soymilk and other soy products.” Proceeds from Babysoy products go towards Healthy Child Healthy World and Half the Sky Foundation.
SIGG (Swiss Engineered Water Bottles)
SIGG offers swiss made water bottles. SIGG bottles are manufactured in an ecologically-friendly environment and are 100% recyclable after a long product life. Its unique design is very stylish and has even partnered with ELLE Magazine in offering limited edition designer bottles in an effort to fight global warming. The campaign involved 14 major designers including Donna Karen, Anna Sui, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and more and their Signature bottles were auctioned off on ebay. All proceeds from the auction went to support StopGlobalWarming.org.
Although the bottles are no longer available, you can still get a customized bottle from SIGG. They are a member of 1% For The Planet, committing 1% of all sales to environmental causes. Another great way to save the environment and give back to the Planet.
FEED BAG
Lauren Bush, honorary spokesperson for the UN World Food Program, initiated the feed project to fight child hunger. “The FEED bag is a sturdy, reversible bag made out of natural burlap and cotton materials. The design of the bag was inspired by the big bags of food that I have seen being distributed to schools around the world. Besides being a cool bag, it is a tangible way to make a difference in the fight against child hunger. Every FEED bag sold will feed a child for a whole year in school!” This version of Feed Bag was designed for retail on Amazon.com.
Signorelli
Signorelli for the Cure Hat was designed for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I love the pink crystal gym on the hat that spells “love” and 100% of the proceeds from the sale will go to breast cancer research. This is just one of the many efforts that Signorelli had put its design into a good cause.
CLARISONIC
The made it to this list for its chic pink design for a good cause. This limited edition pink brush contributes ($10) to fight breast cancer with each purchase.
Filed under: For Her, Green Chic, Maternity & Baby | 1 Comment
Tags: 1% For The Planet, accessories, Alex Woo, american cancer society, Baby, baby shoes, babysoy, breast cancer, charity, charity donations, charity shopping, Chic, Clarisonic, community, donations, eco-friendly, etsy, Feed Bag, fenchurch, fragrance, furnitures, gift ideas, Giving Children Hope, green products, greeting cards, handmade shoes, holiday, holiday shopping, jacaranda style, Mia Joie, necklace, organic baby clothing, philanthropy, Sephora, Shop for a cause, SIGG, Signorelli, soap, swiss products, Too Faced, wee tidings
Thanks for writing about these great companies and causes. Many of these companies are my retailers. I created a company in memory of my 28 year old sister, Liz, who died from breast cancer. Uptown Liz (www.uptownliz.com) promotes products from companies whose proceeds go to charity. You can shop on this one-of-a-kind website by charitable cause or product category, knowing that every time you make a purchase you are giving back. There are many great art, clothing, jewelry, house wares, beauty and eco-friendly products (just to name a few) that benefit charities all over the world.