Category: charity

Categories
charity classes health

Yoga For A Good Cause





Every Tuesday in July Life yoga+boutique is hosting a class to benefit the New Orleans Dress For Success career development and employment retention programs. Dress For Success assists disadvantaged women with not only supplying them with a professional wardrobe but also supplying them with tools the tools and resources they need to be successful in life and in the workforce.

“LIFE yoga + boutique is very excited about our partnership with Dress for Success New Orleans,” said Suzy Rivera, LIFE yoga + boutique Owner. “It is a great organization that focuses not only on empowering women in the workplace, but also encouraging them to focus on health and wellness.”

The Vinyasa Yoga class is $9 per person for a drop-in session, while package pricing varies. Interested in participating? Learn more about LIFE yoga + boutique or register for a session at www.lifenola.com, or call 504.627.0380.

 What:          LIFE yoga + boutique Vinyasa Yoga to Benefit Dress For Success New Orleans 

 When:         Tuesday, July 12, 19 and 26                                         

                                9:30am – 10:45am

Where:         LIFE yoga + boutique
                                    5422 Magazine Street
                                    Between Jefferson and Octavia Streets



Twitter: slowsouthstyle Facebook: Slow Southern Style
Categories
charity north carolina

Half United: Fighting Hunger Through Fashion



When I first discovered HALF United I was intrigued with their “buy one feed one” motto. Founder Carmin Black and Danielle Garrow both design shirts for a good cause, for every product purchased they feed a child in need. Based in Wilmington, NC HALF United not only helps feed children in their community but also in Fiji, Liberia, and formerly in Haiti as well.
   

Find out more about the company after the break.

Is there any one thing that made you decide to do this? 

DANIELLE – I have had a passion for fashion and retail my whole life, it’s what I know and what I am good at. I was actually going to start my own line of t-shirts, when I re-united with Carmin. We were best friends in high school but lost touch over the years. When we came together years later, she was looking for help designing the HALF women’s line. After she told me about the company, I instantly knew this was an opportunity that I shouldn’t pass up. I loved the idea of combining my love for designing with the mission to fight hunger…fashion with a cause. 

CARMIN – Before Founding HALF UNITED, I grew up in a home where giving back and fashion were placed as top priorities. My father was a minister, my mother an interior space designer for retail stores. I always loved both philanthropy and the fashion industry but never thought I could find a career that would combine the two seemingly unrelated worlds until I was accepted by TOMS shoes to be a part of their “Vagabond” program. It was my job to travel the country in a 15 passenger van (loaded down with TOMS shoes and other merchandise) with two other female team members to help spread the word about the TOMS One for One movement. At TOMS I learned how to correctly run a business that gives back. This knowledge combined with everything I lived through as a child made this type of business the perfect fit for my life. I love using fashion as my means of supporting a cause I truly believe in- eradicating global hunger!

I’d love to share some more inspiration behind the line. There is an obvious Native American influence with the designs, how did that come about?


DANIELLE – I honestly don’t know why, but I have always been drawn to clothing reminiscent of Native American culture. I love feathers , fringe, and the intricate patterns and colors seen in Native American prints. We all collectively thought that this would be a great theme that would work well for the guys and girls clothing collection. We weren’t even thinking if it was trendy or not, which turns out it is! 

CARMIN – I feel the same as Danielle- I love the culture, the lifestyle, the feeling our designs give you that you’re somehow free. Two summer’s ago I worked with American Indian children from the Apache and Navajo Indian Reservations in Arizona and while I cannot say these children or their families ever wore feathers, or loud patterns, or any other thing we’ve used in our designs- I can say that they somehow felt like they lived life at a slower pace than the rest of us in the US, as if they were somehow more connected to the world around them. Of course this only my opinion based on my own personal observation- these people just seemed at peace- somehow I hope our designs speak that same message- to slow down and take a look at others around you- and in our case we are hoping that you will think of the child you’ve fed every single time you put on your HALF UNITED merchandise. Currently Native American inspired-design is on trend and while we were coming up with our line’s theme we really didn’t think about that, we just wanted to create pieces that we would love, and in doing so it turns out others feel the same.




Where do you see the future of the company going? 
HALF is constantly growing and changing, the one thing that is constant is our mission to fight global hunger. We are fortunate to be constantly approached by numerous organizations and companies that want to partner with us. Our goal is to sell as many of our products as possible…THE MORE WE SELL, THE MORE KIDS WE FEED! In the future another exciting goal is to only work with sustainable fabrics and to give back specifically to the men or women who make our products. How awesome will it be if one day we are not only feeding children in need with every purchase made, but we are also taking an active role in creating sustainable employment and changing entire communities!? These are goals that we are not far from and will stop at nothing until they have been accomplished.

Will it expand past t-shirts or are y’all going to keep it nice and simple?


Yes, we plan to expand! We are actually in the beginning stages of designing our Spring/Summer 2012 collection. We hope to branch out from just graphic tees and include more complex styles and designs, yet keeping our price point and customers in mind. We will be debuting our Spring/Summer ’12 Collection at the Atlanta Apparel Trade show, happening in October of this year!
Twitter: slowsouthstyle Facebook: Slow Southern Style
Categories
charity new orleans

Support the NOLA Ferret Rescue with iGive

Okay I know what y’all are thinking. What do ferrets have to do with fashion? I’ll explain that in a minute.


Something y’all might not know about me is that I have a deep love for animals. The real reason I had to buy a house is because I was sneaking animals in and out of rentals for years. Oops, sorry former landlords!  From ferrets, hedgehogs, and even Savannah monitors I have loved and owned them all.





A friend of mine, Laura Bogren, operates the NOLA Ferret Rescue, a non profit shelter which provides a loving, caring home for these little “carpet sharks” while they are awaiting adoption. Ferrets are really quirky little animals that an old friend of mine affectionately called a “cat squirrel”. They have big  personalities in a little bitty body which makes for a silly little creature with explosive energy. 


So where does the fashion fit in here? Hang tight for a minute y’all.


I met Laura years and years ago when One Eyed Jack’s was still the Shim Sham. Laura is intensely dedicated to ferrets and having had one myself (and the heartache of a family pet loss) I know how outrageous their vet bills can be. Now imagine running a shelter with multiple critters and it becomes obvious that this isn’t a cheap date.





A really simple, easy way to support the NOLA Ferret Rescue is to shop your favorite stores through iGive.com. Sign up is simple and every purchase you make donates a little bit of money to the shelter. With 835 participating retailers there is surely one that you already shop at already. Participating retailers include amazon.com, Kensie, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Lucky Brand Jeans,  Gap, Macy’s, Steve Madden, Yves Saint Laurent, Bloomingdale’s, Brooks Brothers,and Dillards to name a few. 




  HOW IT WORKS:

1. Join iGive.com to support NOLA Ferret Rescue. It’s free, safe, and easy to join. Use this link:

http://www.iGive.com/welcome/warmwelcome.cfm?c=57819&m=772523

Don’t feel like registering? Take iSearchiGive.com out for a spin and raise a penny (or more!) per search. Just visit http://www.iSearchiGive.com and type “NOLA Ferret Rescue” in the “Select Your Cause” area.

2. Shop through iGive.com’s online mall
~ OR ~
Raise a penny search at iSearchiGive.com


And that’s it! So what do you think about iGive? Have you used it before?

Twitter: slowsouthstyle Facebook: Slow Southern Style