Obakki Designs Fuses Fashion and Philanthropy

I follow Obakki Designs on Facebook. I love what the Founder, Treana Peake, is doing with her clothing line but more important the deep seated mission to make a difference.  Here is a great article that I came across today.  Had to share! She is so inspiring.

Obakki Designs fuses fashion and philanthropy to bring water to Africa.http://tinyurl.com/kc9pzk8



Donna Karan Talks Fashion and Philanthropy

Image: SheKnows.com

SheKnows.com featured a wonderful article about Donna Karan and her commitment to helping the people of Haiti.  She says, in the article, "We can create jobs; we can create meaning; we can create consciousness; we can create the change."  You can read the article here.


Donna Karan is one of the fashion industry leaders in philanthropy. I always use her as a model for brand philanthropy when I work with emerging fashion designers who aspire to making a living and making a difference through their label.

Jamah: Handbags & Cause Combined

Just this morning, Jamah Handbags ran through my mind. My thoughts were on spring and that it is time for a new spring handbag. I have four categories for handbags: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. I have one for each season and change each one out as a season ends and another begins.

Jamah designs some of the most lovely handbags I've seen. More important is the story and meaning of the name Jamah. I first heard of Jamah and the owner, Nancy Gale through Ali Brown. Ali has been a tremendous mentor to thousands of women entrepreneurs over the past decade, a good friend of Ali, and givingadvice is happy to say that Ali International, LLC hired us for a special project. Ali Brown is not only a self-made multi-millionaire but she is a generous entrepreneur as well. She now has a Jamah bag named after her ~ the Ali pictured here.

I then had the pleasure to speak with and meet Nancy Gale. A (very) tall, talented and personable woman. While her passion is designing luxurious handbags, Nancy also has a deep passion about inspiring young adults to tap into their creativity, respect for self, and supporting products made in the USA. All a healthy dose of challenging students to dream bigger and discover their inner talents.

To carry our this vision, Nancy created her In True Fashion program. In True Fashion is a part of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship - LA Chapter, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

To read more about In True Fashion and support this program, visit their website. Meanwhile, here is a blurb.

In True Fashion builds self-esteem and work ethics in American youth through hands-on participation and promote the value of products “Made in the USA.” They implement a unique method that raises self-esteem in high school students through a hands-on participation that results in finished products and healthy competition.

"High school students will explore their creativity through the In True Fashion apprenticeship program, which includes workshops with expert mentors, factory time and business planning. They will learn what it takes to run every aspect of a business.

Spearheaded by JAMAH, the journey takes teams of students from JAMAH product inception to financing to marketing, with their hard work culminating in finished bags that will be exposed to the nation. The designs are voted on and the winning bag is taken into production and sold to the public as a new addition to the JAMAH Collection. Honoring cause and commerce, a portion of the proceeds are designated to NFTE. .... In True Fashion preserves and honors American craftsmanship. The personal empowerment gained from the In True Fashion experience and the appreciation for products that are made in the USA will positively affect generations to come."

So, if you are looking for a fabulous new handbag or if you believe in the mission of In True Fashion, visit their website and tell Nancy I sent you.

Sandra Bullock, Doctors without Borders and Tybee Island

One of my favorite aspects of Hollywood celebrities is they are big givers. I mean really big givers and they have fun while doing it. For many stars, they have taken their name beyond the Hollywood big screen to support causes, not because they can write a check but rather when you explore their charitable giving many support the same causes and charities for years. And in addition to financial contributions, they also leverage their name, face, and voice to promote a cause's message.

Today's celebrity pic is Sandra Bullock. She happens to be one of my favorite comedian-actresses and she is a funny off-screen as she is on-screen. Sandra also has a residence on Tybee Island off of Savannah, Georgia where I live and is generous to our community.

Sandra has been really stepping off the red carpet to step up for good causes. She recently donated $1million to Doctors without Borders Emergency Operations for Haiti relief efforts to fix three of the medical facilities damaged by the earthquake. Also, the Bochic bracelet she's wearing in this photo will be auctioned for charity. 100% of the proceeds will support CharityWater and their efforts to support clean drinking water in Haiti.

Just this past week, Sandra teamed up with Coach to benefit one of her favorites charities, the Beauty Bus Foundation. Sandra has two favorite Coach bags the Madison Leather Hippie and Kristin Leather Tote. They can be yours, too, for a good cause. It makes shopping feel good, really good. Part of the proceeds from her two favorite bags,will benefit the Beauty Bus Foundation. The Beauty Bus Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for home-bound, terminally or chronically ill patients and their primary caregivers.