Top 2012 Fashion and Beauty Brands that Give Back

MY TOP BEAUTY BRAND FOR 2012: (Plā) Beauty

 

(Plā) Beauty founder, Stephanie Green-Bass, inspired by the infinite power of makeup, combined her love of cosmetics and years of industry experience with her lifelong passion to make a difference in the life of a child.  Her company’s tagline is (Plā) Beauty | (Plā) in Life | (Plā) with a Purpose sums up (Plā) Beauty’s social mission. With a strong desire to inspire women and support children, Stephanie created several giving back campaigns.

(Plā) Beauty gives back campaigns include: 

(Plā)2GiveBackis a campaign to empower and recognize truly inspiring women. We all know an amazing woman who has faced adversity, overcome obstacles, and become stronger through her pain. Founder, CEO, and MOM, Stephanie Green Bass has been an amazing role model in using that pain to overcome tough life challenges. Her story has touched the lives and hearts of so many, and we know there are many more like her. (Plā)2GiveBack is our way to hear more about these women, learn from their experiences, and honor them.  

This campaign invited women to submit a brief video sharing their story of a woman who inspired them because she faced adversity, overcome obstacles, and become stronger through her pain. Then an independently formed Board of women and Stephanie selected 15 finalists who would receive a (Plā)DAY of makeover.  Then, one woman among the 15 was given the experience of a lifetime to be the FACE of (Plā) Beauty FALL 2012!!  

All women nominated received a gift from (Plā) Beauty are periodically their stories are shared on the (Plā)2GiveBack page on their website

(Plā)2GiveBack–THE BALM: This campaign gives back to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Under this campaign, (Plā) Beauty donates $2 for every unit sold to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Hughes Spalding. To learn more about why this campaign is so close to Stephanie Green Bass’s heart click here.

THE BALM is an organic, beeswax lip balm has a smooth, healing texture that contains calendula and sunflower oil to soften those (Plā)ful lips. THE BALM is perfect to fight wintery, dry, chapped lips! • SPF 15-fortified, • Vitamin E-enriched, • Moisture-enhancing organic oils, including rosemary, sunflower, jojoba, orange and lime.

(Plā) Green:  In addition to (Plā) Beauty giving back campaigns, the company is also eco-friendly. “(Plā) Beauty is established as an eco-conscious cosmetic line that uses refillable products and magnetic compacts to cut down on wasteful packaging. Our approach to packaging helps keep the environment clean and healthy by reducing waste. We can be kind to the planet while still looking and feeling great.” 

Like (Plā)2GiveBack and Like (Plā) Beauty on Facebook

www.plabeauty.com 

Copy Source: www.plabeauty.com

MY TOP FASHION BRAND FOR 2012: Rachel Roy

 

In her own words, “I believe charity = clarity. Through giving back you gain clarity, peacefulness, happiness and balance in your own life”, fashion designer Rachel Roy has built her brand proving that fashion philanthropy is stylish. Rachel Roy’s brand philanthropy message is clear and strong. Through all her campaigns, she assists children and disaster relief and recovery efforts. 

Her initiatives include:  

Heart of Haiti:In the aftermath of the 2010 Haitian earthquakes, Rachel created an opportunity for Haitian artisans to use their talents to make jewelry and other crafts that are brought back to the U.S. and support the earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti. Learn more about Rachel's Haiti efforts here

 

Orphan Aid Africa:Rachel has partnered with Orphan Aid Africa whose mission is “work to keep families together, send children to school, keep mothers alive and protect children by transforming systems.“ Rachel’s programs help children in Ghana to grow up safe with care and protection.  She does this through various campaigns. She sponsors 21 children in Ghana. In addition, each Holiday season, Rachel and her team hold a book drive and they package and wrap the books for children in Ghana. Lastly, Rachel designed her limited edition Ghana Clutch that supports Orphan Aid Africa children programs. Read more about this effort here

 

Charity:Water  On her 36th birthday, Rachel launched her own charity:water campaign, asking family, friends and fans to help raise $15,000 that went toward building a well to provide clean water in the Kuya Village of Ethiopia.  

Kindness:  Rachel designed Kindness totes and clutches to provide support for children organizations and relief for victims of natural disasters.  100% of net proceeds of the totes go to support: UNICEF for assistance with Pakistan flood victims and recover efforts, GlobalGiving for Japan’s earthquake victims and the Ghana clutch for Orphan Aid Africa.

Lastly, Rachel stepped up to support Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. She joined the Fashion for Sandy Relief auctioning off a “Meet Rachel Roy experience, complete with a personal styling.” She also donated a percentage of Rachel Ray merchandise proceeds to the American Red Cross. Furthermore, Rachel created a Hurricane Sandy page on her website to direct customers to various organizations supporting victims of the disaster.

 

Like Rachel Roy on Facebook
www.rachelroy.com

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Elie Tahari, partnership with Action Against Hunger

Bono, founder of Edun fashion company and  Renzo Rosso founder of Deisel designs partner for Edun+Deisel to source, produce and generate sustainable trade — and, hence, development — in Africa.

Skinny Girl Cocktails partners with Dress for Success

 

How Top Brands Are Saving the World

Let's face it, between work, family, and friends, we are easily overloaded and there is rarely enough time to finish what was due the day before…let alone think about trying to make a difference and save the world. We all work hard and deserve to live as we see fit a life that is comfortable and fun. Everyone enjoys some fun, right? And sometimes indulgent rewards of working hard—be it a shoe fiend or avid traveler are just what we feel are perfect for hard work. Yet, we can get so wrapped up in getting ahead and advancing our careers and own lives that we often fail to remember how extremely lucky we all are in this world.

So just for a moment, imagine life from a different perspective, perhaps being in an impoverished country with no running water or designer shoes and handbags. Consider the differences? Maybe you would no longer care about shopping sprees, or be that carefree traveler and book a weekend getaway. In this moment, stop and think just how can you turn your good fortune into doing something good for others while feeling good about it for yourself, your family and others?

One great example is every shoe-shoppers delight. Manolos really is saving the world while you shop. And they are doing it one pair at a time. Fashion and luxury brands are uniquely positioned to rise to the occasion and are taking on the responsibility of giving back. By maximizing the benefits the world’s most valuable natural resources, their profit margins have grown exponentially since the 1980’s and allow them to position their brand products into symbols of humanity, and you can help.

Supporting brands that support philanthropy to make a difference can make a world of difference in more ways then one. From watches and pendants, to face creams and handbags, you can spend your hard-earned money on products that give back to a cause. No excuses! These companies aren’t cutting a check to just for the tax deduction. They are actually making an impact through awareness with a high level of corporate involvement. You might even be surprised that a go-to item of yours now gives a portion of its sales to charity—a great excuse to keep buying it! Doing good can be as easy as swiping your plastic or clicking your mouse with no scheduling required.

More and more top brands are making a difference through their sales and making significant contributions to worthwhile charities. Here’s just a sampling:

Montblanc – UNICEF, Jewelers for Children, Nelsom Mandela Foundation
Bulgari – Save the Children
Cartier – Youth Aids, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, USA Harvest
David Yurman – Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Lustgarten Foundation
Elie Tahari – God’s Love We Deliver
Gucci – UNICEF
Helen Ficalora – Michael J. Fox Parkinson Foundation
Jimmy Choo – Elton John AIDS Foundation
Kate Spade – Women to Women International
Linea Pelle – Doctors without Borders, UNICEF
Louis Vuitton – White Ribbon Alliance
MAC – MAC AIDS Fund
Monique Pean – Charity: water
Pierce – World Vision
Ralph Lauren – Fashion Targets Breast Cancer
Saks – Key to the Cure, Charity: water
Sergio Rossi - Goodplanet
Swarovski - Charity: water
Tag Heuer – Green Cross International, Natural Resources Defense Council
Valentino - Francesca Rava Foundation for Haiti
Van Cleef – Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Versace – Starlight Children’s Foundation, One Foundation

Go ahead, make your mark by supporting these products and strive for purpose beyond ourselves. As consumers, we need to can put our purchasing power to use through brand philanthropy and support all brands that ‘do good.’ Collectively, we can change the face of the world one luxury purchase at a time.

Please visit makeluxurycount.com, who contributed this article to our blog, to stay up to date on the latest in brand philanthropy and the newest products that are giving back! If you’re going to make a statement, make it count.