Charity Works: Naot Donates 600 Pairs of New Shoes to Hurricane Dorian Victims + More News
Please send tips on footwear brands and retailers that are participating in charitable causes to ccarballo@footwearnews.com.
Sept. 27, 2019: Hurricane Dorian left widespread devastation in the Bahamas as 185 mph winds hit the island over a period of 68 hours from Sept. 1 to Sept. 3. Naot footwear has stepped in to help support the many people affected by the hurricane’s destructive path, leaving people without homes and everyday items. The brand’s relief efforts included a donation of 600 new pairs of sandals and rain boots on Sept. 17.
Sept. 27, 2019: During September for Childhood Cancer Awareness, Solving Kids Cancer, a charity committed to improving survival of children who have the most difficult-to-treat childhood cancers, will distribute 40,000 pairs of gold shoelaces globally as part of the Lace Up For Kids Campaign. The metallic laces are a bold and stylish statement to help raise awareness to help fight childhood cancers. With promotions by Molly Ringwald, Olivia Wilde and more ,the partnership is simple: donate any amount, receive your laces, swap then out with your regular laces and share on social media with the #LaceUpforKids.
Sept. 25, 2019: Mytheresa and luxury brand Gabriela Hearst have teamed up to improve the quality of life of needy children around the world. Today, the partners launched an 18-piece RTW capsule collection that supports Save the Children, a charity dedicated to providing kids access to education, health care and more. The range includes smoking suits, maxi-length dresses and skirts, and timeless coats and knitwear; 20% of proceeds go to the nonprofit.
Sept. 19, 2019: True Religion helped support an 8th grade student’s school project — a clothing pantry to stop bullying. The lifestyle brand, which produces footwear and accessories, donated $10,000 worth of products to 13-year-old Chase Nevland-Square, who came up with the idea of launching the pantry for the anti-bullying cause. In fact, the assignment scored high marks with “Good Morning America” host Michael Strahan, who welcomed the teen on the show Tuesday to highlight her nonprofit program.
Sept. 17, 2019: M.Gemi has collaborated with the charity F**k Cancer on a collection that benefits those who are affected by cancer. The luxury DTC shoe brand will donate 15% of sales from the Palestra Minimo women’s sneaker and the Lucente men’s sneaker through Nov. 17. The design includes the F**k Cancer logo emblazoned on the shoes; the organization funds programs for early detection and psychosocial support services. Additionally, colored laces associated with different types of cancer can be purchased for $15. Customers can also donate by texting FCshoes to 707070.
Sept. 17, 2019: Dallas-based flip flop brand Hari Mari teamed up with Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester and his pediatric cancer organization, NVRQT (Never Quit), to honor Childhood Cancer Awareness Month happening this month. The duo, along with the rest of the Cubs team, celebrated 20 children and their families battling cancer diagnoses at the Cubs vs. Reds game in Chicago on Sept. 16. Before the game, the children were brought out to the field for batting practice and presented with a gift package courtesy of Hari Mari, NVRQT and more brands. The collaboration is part of Hari Mari’s Flops Fighting Cancer initiative, in which the label donates 1% of every flip flop sale to help pay for medicine, treatment and hospital costs for kids battling cancer.
Sept. 15, 2019: For its spring ’20 London Fashion Week show, Roland Mouret is giving back. The designer sent women down the runway in trendy sandals, loafers and pumps, while men in the show sported classic K.Jacques dress shoes. Now that the show is over, Mouret will auction off the runway shoe stock for charity. “The ethos is giving back, caring,” Mouret wrote in a release. He’s also holding a sale at his London headquarters on Oct. 3; shoes there will be sold for 40 pounds each, with 100% of proceeds going to Maggie’s Centres, an organization that helps cancer patients.
Sept. 13, 2019: Nicholas Kirkwood has collaborated with Japanese silversmith Shinta Nakajima on a shoe that embraces both of their disciplines and passion for supporting the arts. The result is the Jazelle shoe, which is hand-shaped with silver sheet and made with metallic napa leather and Kirkwood’s new signature architectural heel, seen in his spring ’19 collection. Inspiration comes from leaves and foliage — a nod to Kirkwood’s spring ’20 line. The shoe will be up for auction at a gala on Sept. 16 in support of the Sarabande x LAPADA Arts & Antiques Fair. Nakajima is an alum of London-based Sarabande, which was established by the late Alexander McQueen to provide scholarships and studio space for artists.
Sept. 12, 2019: Timberland’s logo is a tree, so it’s fitting that the outdoor standout is preparing to plant 50 million of them around the world. The brand announced today that it will hit that number by 2025 as part of its efforts to support a greener future. “Trees and green spaces help improve the quality of our planet as well as individual well-being. Our commitment to plant trees is a real, measurable way to act upon our belief that a greener future is a better future,” Timberland global brand president Jim Pisani said in a statement. To help hit the mark, the label will partner with several green organizations including Smallholder Farmers Alliance, GreenNetwork, Tree Aid and others. Tree-planting projects for the first year will take place in Haiti, China, the Dominican Republic, the U.S., Tanzania and Mali.
The company will kick off the effort with “Nature Needs Heroes,” its largest marketing campaign to date, which is a “calling on consumers around the world to join the movement by taking simple, small actions for a healthier planet.” It highlights 12 eco-heroes who are making positive change for the environment and communities, all outfitted in the brand’s fall ‘19 line. Aside from the campaign’s promotional rollout, Timberland will also host a three-day pop-up park and urban greening event in New York City, a Remade workshop in Shanghai and greening events in London, Paris, Milan, Berlin and Amsterdam.
Sept. 11, 2019: Tall Order, a direct-to-consumer website featuring socks for men with average to large size feet, has launched a limited-edition dress sock in support of FealGood, an organization designed to assist emergency personnel who have been injured or face serious injury in the line of duty. Half of all proceeds from the sale of the socks sporting the FealGood Diversity logo will be donated to the organization. Tall Order was founded by twin brothers Dan and Mike Friedman, whose father Andrew, perished in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
Sept. 6, 2019: Luxury brand PS821 put a retro touch on its new capsule collection of vegan sneakers done in 1980s-approved terry cloth. The colorful, limited-edition unisex line of high-tops ($315) and low-tops ($298) are available on Ps821.com and at its NYC pop-up shop at 225 Mulberry St. Along with the new shoes, the brand also incorporates its choose-your-own-charity philanthropy model. With every purchase from the collection, 8.21% of proceeds are donated to one of three social causes selected by the purchaser: No Kid Hungry, The Trevor Project and Water.org.
Sept. 5, 2019: Born is partnering with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. The 2019 Born x St. Jude Take Comfort, Give Hope campaign is focused around the launch of a limited-edition colorway of the Meggs Too, a sock bootie, sold exclusively on bornshoes.com. The style will retail for $140, with Born donating all of the net proceeds to the hospital and no less than $90 per pair directly benefiting St. Jude. Born will also donate $1 for every sign-up to the bornshoes.com email database in September (up to $10,000).
Sept. 4, 2019: U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team star Alex Morgan has teamed up with online resale marketplace Poshmark to put her closet on sale for charity. The collection features 40 items from the soccer star’s wardrobe, including clothing, shoes and accessories from brands such as Giuseppe Zanotti, Nike, Off-White, Stuart Weitzman and more. Prices range between $21 and $2,000, and all proceeds from sales will be donated to a pair of animal welfare organizations: The Animal League – Central Florida Humane Society and The HIT Living Foundation.
Want more? See how other brands and retailers are giving back.
Charity Works: Mephisto Co-Sponsors Anti-Bullying Concert + More News
