Accessorizing can be the best part about getting ready.
It allows you to dress up or dress down any outfit while still being able to express yourself. Not only does a great accessory complete an outfit, it also serves as a conversation piece.
These stylish accessories all have a powerful story behind them. More and more companies are giving a portion of their profits to charities and organizations they support. Shopping at these companies allows you to give back and spread the word about issues the world is facing while sharing their stories. You’re likely already familiar with TOMS, the shoe company that provides a pair of shoes for a child in need for every pair purchased. These 10 companies have the same spirit with a stylish kick.
These companies all give back to charities, promote green and sustainable living, and raise awareness:
Alex and Ani
The trending accessories company Alex and Ani strongly believes in building a culture that focuses on encouraging the growth of local communities while infusing positive energy in its products. All products are created with positive intention in American factories; the materials used are sustainable; and the manufacturing process is eco-friendly.
Its “Charity by Design” collection focuses on giving back and making the dreams of charitable organizations come true. With this collection, Founder, Creative Director and CEO Carolyn Rafaelian hopes to empower nonprofits to reach their goals by sharing their missions through the power of positive energy and creative design. A portion of proceeds is donated directly to the supported organizations. Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, Stand Up to Cancer, American Heart Association and Toys for Tots are four of the 38 organizations represented in the “Charity by Design” collection.
Arzu Studio Hope
Arzu Studio Hope has updated its popular Peace Cord bracelets to make them easier to wear for all occasions. These bracelets create employment opportunities for artisans and support the empowerment of women worldwide. Arzu Studio Hope also provides women with education, maternal health and an array of community programs. Operating in the Bamyan Province, but with a local outpost for its other products in Evanston, Arzu Studio Hope has made a big difference in the community.
Peace Cord bracelets come in fun colors like neon orange, green, pink and yellow in addition to more neutral colors like navy, army green, gold and black. The new neutral or bright colors are perfect for a summery day or a night out.
Better Life Bags
Better Life Bags has a simple mission statement: to make lives better. Headquartered in Detroit, BLB focuses on hiring women who can’t secure jobs and offers a great opportunity to give back to a community that has an unemployment rate of 20 percent. Selling everything from leather key fobs to colorful messenger bags, BLB provides its employees with sewing machines and other necessities, allowing them to become primary or secondary providers in their families. Most of the women who work for BLB are first-generation immigrants from Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen and Bangladesh.
BLB also gives you the option of designing your very own bag or choosing from one already made. BLB carries iPhone and iPad cases, colorful totes and everything in-between.
Hope Paige Designs
With the mission of providing high-quality, stylish alternatives to the typical medical bracelets, Hope Paige Designs offers “Safety with Style.” Adults and children no longer need to feel “branded” by a traditional chain medical bracelet. These accessories come in aluminum, leather, nylon, paracord, stainless steel, rubber and other materials to make your Medical ID accessory uniquely yours. To make it even more personal, engraving is free and customizable.
If you don’t want to design your own Medical ID jewelry, you can purchase a ready-made piece, or support a charity by purchasing a bracelet designed by a celebrity. Carrie Ann Inaba, Danielle Jonas, Melissa Joan Hart and Kimora Lee Simmons have all designed bracelets for the charities they represent.
Joan Hornig Jewelry
Joan Hornig Jewelry has graced the red carpet in designs worn by A-listers Jessica Alba, Cameron Diaz, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Minka Kelly, to name a few. The bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings keep you looking sophisticated while providing a back story and a conversation starter for each piece of jewelry you purchase.
This philanthropic accessories company is “designed to make a statement and a difference,” as 100 percent of the profits are donated to the charity of the purchaser’s choice. The Joan B. Hornig Foundation has donated to more than 800 initiatives around the world that focus on education, medical research, social services, the arts, animal rights and environmental protection. Former beneficiaries have included: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, City of Hope, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Women for Women International.
Matterial Fix
Matterial Fix carries beautifully crafted gold and silver jewelry to complete all your looks for this summer. This company is dedicated to empowering girls across the world, with the goal of changing the number of uneducated and impoverished girls in need from 250 million to zero. They get closer to this goal by donating 10 percent of every purchase from Matterial Fix to this cause. Each simple and sophisticated piece of detailed jewelry is reflective of their Indian or Peruvian culture.
Partnered with Freedom Firm in India and Peruvian Hearts in Peru, Matterial Fix strives to support these organizations to empower girls every day. By providing the education, training and self-awareness young girls need to grow into strong women, Matterial Fix helps provide the ability to impact their family, community and country in significant ways.
Sseko Designs
Sseko Designs makes beautiful leather handbags, accessories and sandals with a twist. Each leather sandal has interchangeable fabric straps that can be styled in hundreds of ways—the perfect solution to spice up your summer wardrobe!
In the summer of 2008, Liz Forkin Bohannon arrived in Uganda with the intention of helping a youth development organization establish a communications and fund raising plan. She fell in love with the community and an incredible group of young women who were committed to learning how to live well. Bohannon discovered that these women were graduating from secondary schooling and struggling to find the finances to obtain a university education. This sparked the idea of Sseko, whose mission is to provide employment and scholarship opportunities to women who want to overcome poverty and pursue their dreams. Sseko has successfully enabled 47 women to attend university.
Syd Rocks
Sydney Martin, a North Shore native, began her rock-necklace business when she was eight years old. Each of the one-of-a-kind rocks used to make these necklaces is found on the beaches of Lake Michigan. Martin wasn’t sure how she’d use the money she earned until she was diagnosed with Langerhan’s Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) in 2007. Although Sydney has completed her treatment, she plans to continue selling her rock necklaces until a cure for LCH is found.
One-hundred percent of the money earned from Syd Rocks goes toward medical research to find a cure for LCH, and $10 from each T-shirt sale will be donated to the Giving Rocks Foundation, a nonprofit created by Sydney to help other charities and organizations that Sydney has discovered and come to love. In addition to the rock necklaces, Syd Rocks also sells T-shirts and hats.
Syd Rocks is sold locally at Lad & Lassie in Wilmette, E Street in Highland Park and Winnetka, and Frankie’s On The Park in Chicago, in addition to many other locations in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Sword & Plough
With its mission of empowering veterans, reducing waste and strengthening shared civil-military understanding, Sword & Plough employs veterans to sew and manufacture totes, backpacks and accessories made from repurposed military gear. The products are sturdy, classic and stylish.
Founders Emily and Betsy Nunez were born at West Point into a military family, and Emily served as an officer in the U.S. Army. These experiences are the foundation of their passion to create “something that would emotionally and physically touch civilians in their everyday lives and remind them, in a beautiful way, of the challenges our country and servicemen face.”
Warby Parker
Warby Parker is a one-for-one eyeglass company that creates jobs and fosters economic development while working with global partners. Almost 1 billion people worldwide lack access to glasses, meaning 15 percent of the global population cannot learn or work effectively. Partnered with the nonprofit VisionSpring, Warby Parker ensures that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is given to someone in need.
These sleek and affordable glasses come in a variety of shapes, materials and colors perfect for your face shape and skin tone. Can’t make it to Chicago to shop for a new pair? Warby Parker’s online store provides the option to virtually try on every pair to find the one that fits you best! They also provide a “try on at home” option.
