This yummy draping of jewels is aptly named the Autumn Stack. So feminine, beautiful....strong statement pieces.
I just recently wrote about The Shine Project - Wear Change. Ignite Hope.
Please read what I wrote about this very cool company back in May here.
Smitten and bitten!
Alice and Whittles reinforces what we already know to be true: socially conscious products are beautiful, well-made, and have a huge positive impact that ripples through workers’ communities. Their Black Ankle Rain Boots are gorgeous, long-lasting, and stylish for both men and women.
Alice and Whittles was born from Sofi and Nicholas Horekens, a couple who met while working at the UN. They believed that starting a new company could be a long-lasting source of progress, and began by seeking a swiss company to design a fashion-forward, minimalist rubber boot. They are made by hand in Sri Lanka, and contain rubber only from FSC Certified rubber tree forests. Alice and Whittles not only provides fair wage jobs for workers and farmers, they also partner with the Fair Rubber Association to understand and provide what rubber workers need most in their community - a center with reliable internet, subsidized meals, discounted products for the home, options for insurance, and access to loans.
Smitten and ready for rainy days..!
The message is clear on this clean, crisp-white, racerback t from Sudara, "We Will Be Free"! Alliance and unification are the words between the words that sweep across this flawless, fresh tank.
I wrote about Shannon Keith's company Sudara (once the International Princess Project) for notablySmitten.com back in September of 2014 for the first time. Sudara is an organization helping young women in India escape and recover from the sex slavery industry that is rampant there.
I am crazy about Punjammies, wonderfully comfortable loungewear that can be worn indoors and out, made from Sari material and created by the women being trained and helped out of the industry. I am bananas about the vision of this organization and all that they have done for the young women of India since 2005.
If you're looking for a great summer gift for you or a girlfriend, consider this!
Smitten with Sudara.
The Summer Lovin Necklace Stack from The Shine Project is the perfect accompaniment to a sundress or beachy outfit. We love it when doing good, looking good and feeling good are all wrapped into one great accessory!
The Shine Project’s jewelry line was born from blogger Ashley LeMieux’s desire to provide scholarships for her under-prepared and potentially college-bound mentees. What started as a group of students making friendship bracelets in Ashley’s condo - initially called Threads by The Shine Project - has grown into a full fledged for-profit company with a beautiful line of accessories. Thier mission is to provide scholarships, life experience, employment and mentoring to teens who otherwise would not have the resources to seek higher education. Since 2011, The Shine Project has provided over 40 Scholarships, and currently employs 11 inner city students at their Phoenix, Arizona workspace. In addition to the support from product purchases, 100% of direct donations go to providing books and supplies to their scholarship recipients.
Shine on! Smitten.
Unlock Hope’s Africa Key Necklace is a beautiful gift with a very serious mission as it’s namesake. A relatively new organization with an ambitious focus, Unlock Hope works hard to fully fund the Think Humanity Hostel in Uganda solely through their sales!
Too often, girls in small villages do not advance past primary school, often leading to early marriages and large families that are difficult to care for without any education or skills. In 2012, the Think Humanity Hostel began in Uganda as a place for 30 orphaned girls to break the cycle of poverty with an education, basic life skills, and entrepreneurial training in a yearly “Girls' Leadership Summit”. Think Humanity believes that “patience pains, but later pays”, and the success of the girls living in their hostel is proof of that being true. Unlock Hope has an exclusive partnership with Think Humanity, and because of their sales were able to 100% fund the hostel’s budget last year!
Unlock Hope’s Africa Key necklace is a great reminder of how much has already been achieved, as well as how much more is still needed globally.
Hopeful and Smitten.
The Dressember dress from Elegantees is a beautiful, easy dress to ring in the New Year with...and an easy wear for the spring! I love the casual neckline and asymmetrical hem!
Elegantees is a relative newcomer to the fashion industry and supports a great system of change. Founded by Katie Martinez in 2010, their mission is to provide hope, fair wages and independence to survivors of sex trafficking in Nepal. Elegantees partnered with the Nepali Rescue Project, an organization that helps to pull 20,000 women and children each year from sex trafficking, and quickly realized that creating a income system had a far greater effect on life quality than charitable gifts. After providing counseling and helping women find a safe home, Elegantees teaches women to create classic garments at their own sewing center in Kathmandu.
As a company that has only reached their 5-year mark, Elegantees has evolved a great deal since its inception and clearly is on the right track to making a huge difference in the lives of women in Nepal.
Grateful and Smitten.
Beautiful designs and an innovative approach to creation make Anekdot a notablySmitten favorite!
Pictured here is the Cherry Blossom Set. Sheer, pink and perfect.
Anekdot is an innovative and unique company that approaches fashion and creativity in a totally revolutionary way. Rather than designing undergarments and seeking textiles to fulfill those visions, they focus first on the fabrics and allow those vintage and reclaimed textiles to dictate the designs and collections.
The result of this process is a beautiful collection of bras, knickers and loungewear that leaves a significantly smaller ecological footprint by minimizing waste and shifting the fashion industry’s level of responsibility.
Anekdot turns left-behinds and leftovers into beautiful, wearable collections!
Forward-thinking...We're Smitten.
Naja Knickers are eco-conscious, adorably designed, and socially conscious every step of the way: our favorite kind of notable trifecta! Every single design is more adorable, sexy and stylish than the next!
Naja is the entrepreneurial brainchild of Catalina Girald, an attorney-turned-traveler-turned-activist, and Gina Rodriguez, an award-winning-actress-and-latino-community-supporter. Naja was created in an effort to shift the way lingerie is made and marketed so that it is empowering, not objectifying, for the “smart, courageous and sexy women of today”. With factories that employ primarily single mothers and female heads of households, Naja pays above market wages, allows for flexible scheduling, and provides school clothes, supplies and lunches to the children of their employees. In addition to their factories, Naja employs women in the slums of Columbia to sew garment bags in their homes through their Underwear for Hope program - 2% of all purchases go towards funding this program.
In addition to all the socially-conscious efforts, Naja prints all their awesome knicker graphics digitally to minimize their environmental footprint.
Smitten with Girl Power!
Looking for dapper, jazzy, polished Sunglasses for the Spring? Look no further...you know Warby Parker has your back.
Warby Parker has established itself as a wave making company since its inception in 2010. An uber hip, original, polished, socially attentive brand of prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses, founded and made in America.
notablySmitten posted about WP first back in December 2014. If you don't know their whole story, please check it out here.
Smitten with WP forever!
These vivid, recycled, wrapped, rubber bangles are so well constructed and hip, they make me happy!
Made With Love bracelets are made by a Women's Cooperative in Djenne', Mali, West Africa.
In 2007 designer Mary Jane Marcasiano formed MADE WITH LOVE. MWL is a global call to action, dedicated to raising funds and awareness for NGOs aiding women and children. Through the production and sale of products that provide a fair income for women in Brazil and Africa, Made With Love is addressing the need for aid.
Made With Love works in tandem with the Cygnet Foundation, which through the proceeds realized from art-related programs, seeks to help those in need: women and children, the homeless, the hungry as well as abandoned and endangered animals.
The women are paid a fair price for their work, so the money the bracelets provide create a means of support, and are sold to raise funds for L'Empire des Enfants.
L'Empire des Enfants is a center for homeless children from the streets of Dakar, Senegal. L'Empire grants shelter, meals, education and training programs. They also work with local organizations to return homeless children to their families.
Smitten.
Exciting, eye-catching, ear candy: classic gold shimmering hoop earrings. Strung with metallic faceted beads...perfectly wearable day or night.
These yummy hoops are available in both Gold and Silver and have a 2 1/4" drop, with a 1 1/2" width.
I love these earrings, but I love the company behind them more.
Purpose jewelry, is handcrafted by survivors of modern-day slavery.
100% of the proceeds from Purpose benefit International Sanctuary, a non-profit that provides holistic care for young women rescued from sex trafficking.
When a girl escapes or is rescued from sex trafficking she is faced with an enormous level of trauma with very little support.
In 2007, International Sanctuary (iSanctuary) was created to address the needs of these young women through holistic care and empowerment. The women are offered mentorship, education, medical and dental care, scholarships, and micro-loans to prepare them for brighter futures.
In September 2014, International Sanctuary launched Purpose, a way to empower the survivors through employment and financial stability. The women are able to enjoy a healthy workplace, free to laugh and grow. A place that helps to transform these once victims, into skilled artisans, survivors...and thrivers.
Super Smitten!
Cool, comfy, confident...these pretty, applause worthy panties are made of a soft organic bamboo fabric and decorous, floral lace.
This is how Madi apparel works:
- Madi creates a beautiful pair of panties here in the US, using a very practical and sustainable bamboo fabric.
- You buy said panties for yourself, or several friends!
- Madi then donates a pair to a woman in need.
- As underwear is the most under-donated item...you've just helped a fellow sister feel more comfortable and supported.
"Underwear is a woman’s most personal garment -- we know what we’re attracted to and feel most comfortable in."
This company, created by the lovely Hayley Besheer in Kansas City, Missouri in 2014, is outstanding!
Undeniably Smitten!
I spent a significant amount of my life working as a model. You may not recognize the name...but I worked. And I've got stories...;)
The expectations put on us, and that we begin to put on our young girl selves, starts the moment we realize...we are girls.
I was reading Seventeen magazine at thirteen wondering how I would ever look like those young women. Of course, at that age, I knew nothing of "touching up" photos...or today, photo shop.
The dark cycle of it all sets in early. We women are marketed to...to be different than who we are, as we are. If we were only skinnier, taller, had blonder (browner, redder, more "ombre,") hair, well, life would be just grand.
The right foundation is what is most important! I mean, right? We begin swimming in a sea of images that make us feel, not right. We are not right the way we are...we need more glosses, blushes, long-lasting mascaras, perfumes, the "right" potions, "perfect" lotions and more Prada, Gucci, Guess to be okay.
It's exhausting...to the spirit.
Here, I present a new find. Sarah Dubbeldam started Darling as a blog in 2009. It became a quarterly printed magazine, with its first edition in 2012. Based out of California, Darling gets it right!
These are just some of the reasons I not just like, but LOVE Darling magazine:
· They challenge cultural “ideals” of beauty and question their exaggerated importance.
· They see beauty in every type of woman.
· They believe in being “fit,” and see “thin” in context of the healthiest version of self.
· They promote respect for women’s bodies in fashion and photography.
· They never use Photoshop to alter women’s faces or bodies.
· They feature clothing and products within a price range that an average income can afford.
· They don't offer shallow advice to real-life issues. Instead, promote coping behaviors for helpful and lasting change.
Thank you Darling, for turning this medium on its ear, creating accountability...and helping champion future generations of girls into a world that is filled with much less "noise" and insecurity.
Totally Smitten.
It's so simple, so loving...I'm crazy about Random Acts of Flowers!
RAF recycles and repurposes flowers and distributes them to individuals in healthcare facilities across the country...so cool!!
Random Acts of Flowers’ mission is driven by floral recipients, and strives to be a 100% recycling organization.
With more than 500 volunteers making up the core of the operations and mission fulfillment around the country, if you've got the time, they would love to include you in the volunteer team at a branch near you.
Please check out their story here.
Totally Smitten!
In 2003 Stacey Edgar didn't have a business plan. . .or a passport. That didn't stop her from creating a socially conscious business that has helped poor women in five continents feed their families and send their children to school.
Stacey Edgar refused to be paralyzed by the size of world poverty. With a $2,000 tax return and a profound desire to help provide economic security for women in need, Global Girlfriends was created. GG is a passionate testament to Stacey following her convictions, a template for us all to follow. Take simple actions to eliminate extreme poverty.
Global Girlfriends has grown into a multi-million dollar enterprise that specializes in handmade, fairly traded, eco-conscious apparel and accessories made by women from all over the world.
An excellent read, a dream...and a guide.
Smitten.
How excited could one possibly get over undies? The answer is quite! I am quite crazed about these deliciously sexy, well-designed and logical undergarments! Thinx is not only covering booties...but kicking booty as well!
As women, girls, gals...we have all had the experience of leaking through a tampon or pad and ruining a pair of fantabulous undies. This is a bummer...but not nearly as bad as not having access to tampons or pads in the first place.
This is mad but true: 100 million girls in the developing world fall behind in school because of their periods. In some countries, girls are made to feel shame about their periods, and very often are not able to afford disposable pads or tampons. Over time, many are forced to drop out. (In Uganda, girls miss around 11% of their academic year because of their periods, according to a report on menstrual management.)
The gals behind Thinx (self-absorbing underwear) are sisters Radha and Miki Agrawal and Antonia Dunbar, who saw a need and filled it...handily!
The women patented their THINX QuadTECH technology, and created these ingenious undies that come in three different styles: Thong, Cheeky, and Hiphugger, with prices ranging from $24 to $34.
Here's how it comes together for all of us:
~ You buy a pair of Thinx panties (or build a cycle set)...for your needs and comfort during the month.
~ Thinx then send funds to their partner organization, AFRIpads (which is on the ground in Uganda with 130 employees and four factories.)
~ AFRIpads trains women to sew and sell washable, reusable cloth pads, turning local women into entrepreneurs!
~ A girl is then able to purchase an affordable and sustainable pack of pads, keeping them in school every day of the month.
These undies are brilliant and I am Smitten.
Firstly, I am crazy for this endeavor, this movement: HALF THE SKY.
This is an essential watch/study for any and all global citizens.
This 10 DVD set was inspired by Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's groundbreaking book HALF THE SKY...which takes on the central moral challenge of the 21st century: the oppression of women and girls worldwide.
The film follows actress/activists America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union and Olivia Wilde, along with Kristof to meet some of the most courageous individuals of our time, who are doing extraordinary work to empower women and girls everywhere.
These are challenging, dramatic stories of transformation and hope. You will be shocked and outraged...and ultimately inspired by the resilience of the human spirit. The film leaves us in awe of the capabilities of women and girls to realize their astounding potential.
HALF THE SKY is a passionate call, urging us to bear witness to the plight of the world's women, and to help transform their oppression into opportunity.
Our future is in the hands of women, everywhere.
This is about a movement, and it is called the Red Thread Movement. It is a call to action with the sale of red thread bracelets. This is what one little vibrantly colored, handsomely crafted little bracelet can do!
The Red Thread Movement battles human trafficking and has partnered with a Nepalese anti-trafficking organization that has set up border units between Nepal and India (which is open and allows for citizens from both countries to travel freely with no visa or passport.) As there is an estimated 12,000 victims of sex trafficking between these countries every year, the success rate of these border units is extremely high, each rescuing up to 15 girls a month.
Many girls are not able to return to their villages after rescue, as social rejection and shame are common. Safe houses are established to provide shelter, counseling and vocational training for girls who cannot return to their villages. It is at these safe houses that the girls make the Red Thread Movement bracelets.
The bracelets make a difference in 3 important ways:
1. They provide a Fair Trade income for rescued girls who do the craftsmanship and hand weave the bracelets themselves.
2. Additional proceeds fund anti-trafficking border units and safe houses through the work of Red Thread’s partner, Kingdom Investments Nepal (K.I. Nepal.)
3. Wearing the bracelet generates awareness and declares sex trafficking as human rights crime.
These bracelets are an outstanding way to fundraise and spread the word!
I am Smitten.
I may be a little late to the party here, as I am just discovering Punjammies, but I am no less excited or bowled over by the idea that is the International Princess Project. Firstly, Punjammies are cozy, colorful loungewear trousers, fashioned from the same gorgeous fabric that the traditional Sari is made from, they are 100% cotton -- incredibly soft and comfortable.
The International Princess Project was founded by Shannon Keith in 2005 when Shannon and her husband visited India for the first time. They loved the country but were struck by the very serious problem that existed for the young girls and women of India, that of sex trafficking and modern day slavery. After visiting one of India’s countless red light districts, she was changed.
Pressed by the immensity of the problem, Shannon returned home, culled some goodhearted friends and founded International Princess Project to advocate for these women and help them rebuild their lives. Soon, the team realized that without an occupation, these women and girls stood a slim chance of survival outside the brothels and prostitution.
With this knowledge, Shannon focussed on what she knew, sales and merchandising -- and Punjammies were born. The brilliant fabric of the traditional Indian Sari was the key inspiration. The team worked with talented seamstresses to create a simple pattern that women could use to learn how to sew. With each stitch, the women gained courage, confidence and determination. Their newfound trade was their passageway to freedom.
What started as a six-woman sewing center is now three centers that employ over 150 women. All receive fair wages and recovery care. Punjammies are loose fitting for comfort, all-cotton and can be worn indoors as loungewear or for a festive evening out, with a pair of strappy sandals and your favorite clutch. The elastic waistband sits comfortably on your hips, and can be customized with the drawstring.
With every purchase, know that you are directly helping the women of India pave a pathway to the dignity and freedom they justly deserve.
Crazy Smitten for Punjammies.