Charity Fashion Brands and How They’ve Given Back

Designers are changing the face of charitable giving.

• Ralph Lauren created the Pink Pony Fund to help support breast cancer awareness programs.
• Donatella Versace supports the Starlight Children Foundation and the One Foundation to better the lives of children in need.
• Chan Luu created Ethical Fashion International to provide sustainable income and jobs for the people of Haiti and Kenya.

If you are looking for ways where you can combine your love of fashion with charity, use these following ideas to volunteer, shop and give back to fashionable causes (source: chanluu.com)

1. Shop and swap at a charity resale boutique. These stores typically receive designer castaways and home furnishing items from socialites and fashionistas. You can either donate your clothing to a worthy cause, or shop to support your favorite charity. As an added benefit, shoppers can buy name brand clothing that is usually 50 to 85 percent off retail prices.
2. Participate in a fashion show. Who doesn’t love a fashion show? Guests of this fundraiser experience high-fashion models strutting down the catwalk wearing designer duds and the latest fashion accessories. If you are hosting a fashion show for your favorite charity, you can hold a silent auction; offer the fashions worn by the model for sale and sell tickets to this popular fundraising event.
3. Fashion houses can hold designer auctions. If you are a fashion designer with a collection of vintage pieces or an excess of last season’s fashions, you can hold an auction for charity. This type of charity event typically draws a fashionable group of people with plenty of money to spend. By selling exclusive pieces to celebrities and vintage collectors you can not only use the proceeds to support a worthy cause, but also raise awareness for your commitment to helping others through fashion.
4. Participate in corporate donations. All charities thrive when given sizeable donations from large corporate partners. You can raise the public’s perception of your organization in a positive way by hosting a fashionable fundraiser. Also, your clients will think favorably of your charitable giving opportunities and will likely want to continue doing business with you. To participate in fashionable corporate donations, you can buy a table at a fashion show or donate your employee’s time and talent through volunteer efforts. You can also match your employee’s financial contributions up to 50% to support the charity’s fundraising efforts.
5. Donate prom dresses to help girls in need. If your budget is stretched too tight to fork over your cash, you can still donate and help prom goers on a budget. In fact, you can make cleaning out your closet a charitable undertaking. Instead of throwing out unwanted fashionable items, you can donate them so that your clothes and accessories can do some good in your community! You can ask your friends to donate their old bridesmaids’ dresses and their gently used formal gowns to help girls who cannot afford new dresses for their school dances. If you don’t have the designer duds available, you can also donate shoes, jewelry and evening handbags to support a worthy and fashion-related cause.