volunteer & donate now: Fashion For All
Call me crazy, but I’m moving ahead, full-throttle with this amazing clothing donor drive/fashion event, which I’m calling Fashion For All. Fashion For All’s mission is to provide an annual day of dignified shopping for residents in low-income communities across the country. Our partnerships with local community activist and outreach organizations, as well as prominent fashion and beauty brands, enable us to provide a day of luxury shopping and white-glove, personalized service for residents in low-income communities. Granted, I’m not saving the world or curing cancer, but it thrills me that I can provide relief, albeit briefly, to struggling families who are having a hard time meeting basic needs. For a mother or wife who spends a great deal of her time wondering how to make ends meet, providing for her family, and working exhaustive hours, it means a lot to me to provide this incredible woman with a day of pampering, a day with other equally wonderful women, and a day where she can be treated like royalty.
Our inaugural event will take place in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn on May 16, 2009. While my initial idea was quite grand (thousands! kids!), I’m scaling it down. We’re slated to host 250 women from low-income areas, and they’ll shop from terrific pieces that come courtesy of generous donors (some of whom will donate at our donator soiree - we’re partnering with MINT Jodi Arnold, while we’re making arrangements for individual pick-ups, mailed shipments). Already, we have Old Navy to Balenciaga. Suits to vintage gowns. Wedding dresses to chandelier earrings (300 pairs courtesy of the supremely generous Nicole Tondre of Circa Now), and I’m already thrilled with the generosity and support.
If you are at all interested in donating gently used women’s clothes/accessories, new & unopened beauty products, or cash to fund our rental fees, please let me know. We can also take donations via mail if you don’t live in New York City. If you’re interested in donating your time to help out with any phase of the event, do let me know. Alternatively, if you volunteer at a community group in Brooklyn where you feel we can get the word out, let me know! And finally, spreading the word is so gratefully appreciated.
For the past two hours, I’ve been hitting the phones pretty hard calling community groups, local activist organizations, and churches, in an effort to raise awareness. And I won’t be blue that I experienced several rude interactions with Target when I attempted to phone and ask for donations for my event. Cold calling is brutal.
Note: the above video is of the space where the drive will be held!