Holiday Charitable Giving

On Friday and Saturday of the November 12th-13th weekend, we attended the Holiday Shopping Bazaar at the Chicago Yacht Club located on Belmont Avenue and the water. Each day we were there from 11 to 6 and 10 to 4. We had fun working, shopping, talking with friends and Yacht Club members. As a result of that successful event, we were able to give back 10% of our sales, donating them to the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation.

We appreciate everyone who turned out to support the Yacht Club Foundation, thus allowing us to participate in holiday charitable giving.

We had fun and we made a difference!

Eco- Friendly Handbags Support Cambodia Charity

As you know, Giving Back is part of our mission statement. A portion of sales goes to support five different countries. Today we featuring Cambodia and sharing the story of how we have chosen to give back to this country and why.

A portion of our sales from our Cambodia collection goes to support a Cambodian charity that supports women and children who are victims of human trafficking and sex slavery. Most of you are probably aware that human trafficking is a global problem that is embedded in a web of poverty, political transition, inadequate female education and economic opportunity and the low value placed on women and children. The International Organization for Migration estimates as many as 4 million people are trafficked each year, a quarter of which are children. Trafficking is a $10 billion dollar a year business. In Asia, women and children are trafficked into prostitution and forced labor within their own countries as well as overseas.

Our eco fashion bags and accessories are handmade by Smateria in Phnom Phem, Cambodia. All of Smateria's products are handmade by Cambodian craftsman and women employed in line with fair trade principles. The company currently employs 50 permanent staff and 15 outsourced families.

Buy locally and support globally by purchasing one of our sustainable bags and fair trade totes using recycled mosquito netting from Cambodia partners Smateria.

Dressed to Give Feature

Our founder, Christine Hutchison, was recently interviewed by Stephanie Hackman of Dressed to Give at CaseFoundation.org. Stephanie actively seeks to write about businesses that give back. Here is a quote from her:

Dressed to Give readers know I love highlighting businesses that are giving back in style. I've blogged about shoe companies and boutiques that have made giving back a part of their business model, and I've been thrilled to see an upsurge in fashion-focused entrepreneurial ventures lately that have a strong commitment to philanthropy.

We really appreciate her article and her support. In case you would like to read it, we thought we'd post a link to it:

http://www.casefoundation.org/blog/dressed-give-five-accessories