Fashion Project is an amazing organization that turns one woman's fashion cast off's into another woman's current look AND one charities new donor. I was so thrilled to read about an organization like this who married my two favourite things: Fashion and Helping Others. I realized I could have an impact in several ways. I don't know of any other organization that is a Win, Win, Win ... My first donation was a pair of DIOR shoes that I only wore once, from the car to dinner - dinner to the car. I chose the National Down Syndrome Society as my charity!
How does it work? You clean out your closet and donate all designer items that you no longer want to wear. Fashion project will send you a shipping bag and pay for it too. You choose a charity you love and send them the goods. When the item is purchased the charity you chose gets 55% of the money it sold for.
What I LOVE about Fashion Project:
1) I can clean out my closet and have the majority of the proceeds go to charity. (55% unheard of! Amazing!)
2) Another woman can acquire my designer item at a fraction of the original cost AND donate to charity at the same time.
3) I can shop for new designer pieces for myself AND make a charitable donation simultaneously.
4) FP makes it EASY to send items and pays for all shipping costs.
I had a chance to chat with the founders of this Fashion Forward company,
Christine & Anna:
LG: Where did this concept originate?
FP: Fashion Project was an idea sparked between two friends and classmates, Anna Palmer and Christine Rizk, at Harvard Law. It was conceived to solve the problem of donating designer clothing to charity. Traditional thrift stores are volume businesses set up for low-quality merchandise, causing valuable designer items to be baled and shipped overseas for as little as .40 cents per pound. Consumers wanting to donate their clothes have no other options- until now. By creating a new way of giving focused on personal service and merchandised collections, Fashion Project is able to raise up to 100x more than traditional thrift stores for the items in your closet.
LG: What celebrity's closet would be a dream to Fashion Project?
FP: Olivia Palermo
and Rachel Bilson
LG: What items are you looking for? Do you accept designer Vintage?
FP: We are looking for anything in your closet that deserves a second life. All of too often pieces are thrown away before they reach their maximum impact level. Those Rag and Bone jeans that don't fit anymore? We'll take them. Those last season Jimmy Choo heels? Those too. The better the brand and the condition, the more money that can be raised for charity. And yes, we love designer vintage!
LG: Whats next for FP?
FP: We're expanding! We now reach donors in every state and are focused on raising as much as we can for charity in 2014.
What's in your closet that can be converted to charity?
