Clothing With a Conscience: Can Shopping Change Lives?

Absolutely!

Non-profits and charity organizations are nothing new. But what is new is how these types of organizations have started infiltrating the pop-culture scene. In fact, it's become downright trendy, even finding it's way into the world of fashion.

Everyone from average hipsters

to A-list actors

are getting in on the hype.

Some people see trends like this as a bandwagon to be avoided at all costs. In most other cases, I agree. You should be yourself and not do something just because a lot of people that you think matter are doing it.

But this is different.

Companies exist whose sole purpose it is to design shirts and other products that either directly support charity work that the company itself is involved in or support a separate non-profit whose work they wish to enable and promote.

I know what some of you are thinking. You're thinking companies will "support" anything if it will make them a buck. Jump on the do-good-ing bandwagon, as it were. Yeah, maybe true. But the thing is, these charities are still getting money.

People are still being touched and helped.

Good things are still being done.

So what if there is a business behind it?

So what if it's a fad?

So what if it's trendy?

If you find an organization that is actually doing some good with the money they raise, then who cares?

THE LIST:

So if you think this is something you might be interested in, the next step is to find an organization that is involved in something you want to support.

Do you have heart for orphans?

Vulnerable children?

HIV/AIDS prevention?

Education?

To help get you started, I've compiled a short list of what I believe to be some of the best organizations. Both because of the good work they are doing and the quality of their products.

I give a brief overview of what the company is about and the kinds of work they are involved in. I also provide a link to their online store and some other links you may find interesting.

But once you are on, do some searching on your own. Find what touches your heart. Most of these organizations have links to others that they partner with.

The list doesn't end here.

Go explore!

OVERVIEW:

So, this company was started by a 10 year old girl named Sydney with a heart for orphans in Ghana, Africa.

No, seriously. Ten.

After leaving a restaurant with her family she was struck by a question. Through tears she asked her parents, "Why should we eat like kings and queens when they have nothing?"

She decided to design her first t-shirt with the hopes of raising $500 to send to orphaned children.

In 2 months Sydney raised $8,000.

Now her whole family is involved and they continue to raise money for various projects to help the struggling in Ghana.

It is a beautiful story and one best told by her. Check out the links below to hear it in her words.

PROCEEDS:

Not only do they sell shirts, but they also have bags handmade by single mothers in Ghana. It is part of an ongoing effort to begin a fair trade company that will help them to keep their family together.

From what I can tell, all of the proceeds for sales on the shirts and bags goes to fund the family's continuing missions in Ghana. On the necklaces, 20% goes back to Feeding the Orphans.

OVERVIEW:

"We are everyday people aware of a need in our community. We realize that we are capable of performing tangible acts of service that will meet individual and immediate needs in order to affect wide scale encouragement."

What I love so much about this company is that they are more concerned with meeting the need than the merch sales, alone.

The other thing I love is that they are active in meeting very specific, very tangible and attainable needs.

One shirt is designed to meet one specific need.

And once the need is met, the shirt is retired.

That simple.

This is a site you can keep checking back on. They are always tackling new needs and designing new things.

PROCEEDS:

60% of proceeds go directly to the respective cause. The other 40% covers expenses and operational costs.

Compared to a lot of companies, this is a big percentage.

OVERVIEW:

This is a company all about social justice.

They hope to help others with support they can provide financially. But more than that, they want to help others to help themselves.

Teach a man to fish kind of thinking, here.

They recognize that social consciousness is a fashionable, even sometimes flippant notion to many. But these guys aim to do something significant. Something lasting.

They are even working on a curriculum to provide to schools wanting to educate kids on issues of social justice.

PROCEEDS:

25% of proceeds go directly the cause represented by the item. The other 75% covers overhead. These guys are dedicated to keeping operational costs as low as possible so that your dollar goes as far as it can.

OVERVIEW:

"Jedidiah is a humanitarian-based apparel brand aspiring to cultivate change, one garment at a time. Our mission is to use apparel sales as a vehicle to provide care, support and financial resources to those in need."

These guys are probably the most widely known and worn of these companies. Their clothes sell in department stores around the world.

Each season they partner with a different non-profit organization and their shirt sales go to support that organization.

Below is a video spotlight of a non-profit that Jedidiah has partnered with.

Also, take a look at the Jedidiah store. They have some very quality, and truly unique merchandise.

PROCEEDS:

This was a little difficult to figure out for these guys. For some of their shirts, it seems that 100% of the proceeds go directly to the organization they support. They can do this because they also sell clothes that don't support a particular organization. But some I have seen give $15 of the $20 sale price. Which is pretty huge.

They have a blog that is very good at laying out exactly how the donated money was used and who specifically was helped by it. They also have a lot of videos and pictures on their site.

Go check it out!

OVERVIEW:

"OmniPeace is a humanitarian fashion brand that supports breaking the cycle of poverty through education and ending extreme poverty in Africa by 2025."

Talk about a specific goal. Wow. These guys are driven.

OmniPeace started in 2007 with the goal of building one school per year. And they are on track. Three schools built with a fourth on the way.

There's no doubt that Mary Fanaro, the founder of OmniPeace, is absolutely dedicated to her cause. In the midst of starting this organization she found out she had ovarian cancer. But she pushed on, postponing her treatment for the company's launch and beginning her chemotherapy the very next day.

Talk about a heart for the hurting.

PROCEEDS:

OmniPeace donates 25% of their proceeds to relief in an effort to end poverty.

OVERVIEW:

Mocha Club is an online community of people giving up the cost of 2 mochas a month or $7 to fund relief and development projects in Africa.

What's cool about this company is that when you buy a shirt you can pick what type of project you want your money to support. The options are :

HIV/AIDS + Healthcare

Orphan Care + Vulnerable Children

Education

Child Mothers + Women at Risk

PROCEEDS:

On their site, they say that 100% of the money you spend in their store supports their work in Africa. I would like a better break down than this, because obviously they have overhead costs that must be covered. But regardless, these guys are doing some great things.

Definitely check them out.

OVERVIEW:

So, if you haven't heard of TOMS yet, you may or may not have been living under a rock for the past few years.

They were founded on a simple premise: For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. They refer to it as their One for One campaign.

At first, shoes might not seem like as big of a thing as donating money for food or building projects.

But that's just because you have them.

One of the leading causes of disease in developing countries is soil transmitted disease. Having shoes to wear is the first step in countering the spread.

PROCEEDS:

Rather than donating money, TOMS donates shoes. One pair given for every one pair sold. Check out the GIVING REPORT below.

TO ALL YOU NAYSAYERS

Of course you're always going to have those guys going against whatever grain they come across. Including charity clothing. But my thought is, you have to buy clothes anyway. So buy something that helps someone else.

Of course we could just give all the money we spend on clothes directly to charities and not buy clothes.

I'm sure that's what they're doing...right?

When it comes down to it, buying a shirt or two from one of these companies won't change the world. It won't end world hunger, and you don't get to interact with someone in need on any kind of personal level.

Understand that I do not intend to undermind the importance of REAL service. If you feel an urging to help the hurting then volunteer in your community. Help someone you see who needs it. Talk to people. Go to a hurting country and SEE with your own eyes what real suffering is. And then do something about it.

But for those that can't travel to another country but still want to help with the good things that others are doing, financial support is a great start.

Buying a shirt from one of these companies provides both financial support and promotional support.

Buy a shirt and wear it often. When someone asks you about it, tell them what you've learned and what the money from your shirt went to support. And encourage them to do the same.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather see the $25 I'm already going to spend on a shirt go to help grow crops in Uganda than stock shares in New York.