Bead For Life Sustainable, Fair Trade Jewelry: All I Want For The Eighth Night Of Chanukkah!

For all of the coveting, overconsuming, and product worshiping I indulge in here on FashionBinge, it's nice to flex my Mastercard muscle and do some honest-to-goodness good once in a while. Which is why, for the last day of my Chanukkah gift guide, I'm taking a break from being totally self-indulgent and ostentatious (and from effusing joy over products WAY out of my 99% lifestyle) to share my passion for BeadforLife, which is a nonprofit organization based in Boulder and Uganda. BeadforLife educates, employs and builds a sustainable income for impoverished Ugandan women (many of them are war refugees) who create beads and beaded jewelry out of recycled paper. BeadforLife provides Ugandans aged 16 - 26 with vocational training as well as malaria and HIV treatment.




I was lucky enough to meet some of the heads of BeadforLife via my real job at MTV, and they're incredible women who make sure that members of the BeadforLife program receive training to create beads, make jewelry and then sell it at fair trade prices. The program's goal is for members to be independent of BeadforLife within 18 months by being able to support themselves within the Ugandan economy. BeadforLife provides entrepreneurial training, facilitates savings accounts, and makes business funds available -- truly incredible resource-building opportunities for women who might otherwise have none.

You can buy BeadforLife jewelry directly from their site. Many of the bracelets and necklaces cost less than most of us spend on a single trip to Starbucks, and they make excellent stocking stuffers and gifts -- gifts that keep giving.

+ Chanukkah Gift Guide Day 1: Charles Jourdan taupe heels from Ideeli! 
+ Chanukkah Gift Guide Day 2: Dr Martens black leather satchel!
+ Chanukkah Gift Guide Day 3: Banana Republic velvet sheath dress!
+ Chanukkah Gift Guide Day 4: Aritiza Black Silk Tunic!
+ Chanukkah Gift Guide Day 5: Marais Studded Suede Chukkah Boots!
+ Chanukkah Gift Guide Day 6: Funktional Nikki Rabbit Fur Coat (with guilt)!
+ Chanukkah Gift Guide Day 7: Amore Pacific Rejuvenating Moisture Creme! 

I Bought It Files: Nicole Miller Indego Africa Fabric Bracelets

I hardly need an excuse to purchase anything under $50.

HowEVER.

Proceeds of these perfect-for-me fabric wrap bracelets, co-designed by Nicole Miller and Indego Africa, go right back to the female-run co-ops of Indego, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fair trade social enterprise that sells accessories and home décor products handmade by Rwandan artisans. Indego Africa sells the co-op's goods at more than 40 retailers in the U.S. and online.

$25, Indego Africa x Nicole Miller

Another selling point, if I've not yet sold you: the bracelets are $25.00 for a set of three. Free shipping too!

Check out the Indego store. All of the proceeds from the goods sold in their store go back to the artisans who made them.

Buy Tickets To Pay It Fashion Forward Fashion Gives Back's Annual Summer Event -- It's For A Good Cause (Not Just Fashion)

People! If you've got some spare dollar bills laying around and want to pick them up and put them toward a good cause, there are still tickets available for tomorrow night's Fashion Delivers 4th Annual Summer Event honoring fashion industry leaders who give back: Steven Alan, Mickey Boardman, Coco Rocha, Rachel Roy, Mary Alice Stevenson.

Fashion Delivers is a non-profit organization that mobilizes retail and fashion companies to donate their excess inventory to those in need in the US and across the globe. In less than five years, Fashion Delivers has raised over $75 million in product donations, and has garnered the support of over 500 retail companies.

Tomorrow night's charity event honors five leaders in the fashion industry for their positive work within their communities: designer Steven Alan, Paper Magazine's Mickey Boardman, model/activist Coco Rocha, designer Rachel Roy and stylist Mary Alice Stephenson. (I will be there, but I am not being honored. Maybe next year...)

General Admission (maybe you?): $80 (includes 3 hour open bar provided by Asahi, Honest Tea, The Patron Spirits and Perrier; snacks provided by popchips; option to Make Your Own Havaianas and create a customized electronic postcard via the Keshot internet photobooth; $30 is tax deductible)

VIP (ballin'): $200 (includes General Admission items plus bottle service, passed hors d'oeuvres, red carpet access, VIP entrance at 190 Allen Street , VIP giftbag while supplies last; $150 is tax deductible)

You can also make a donation by distributing donated apparel and home goods for the southeast tornado and flood victims.

Purchase tickets here.

Pay It Forward Fashion Gives Back:
Thursday, June 16, 2011
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
SHANG at Thompson LES
187 Orchard Street Corner Allen Street 2nd floor. NYC

Forever 21 & World Wildlife Fund's Caused-Based Cuteness

As a grown-ass woman whose browsing history is about 72 percent kittens, I feel like the World Wildlife Fund's tee-shirt collaboration with Forever 21 somewhat justifies my somewhat unhealthy predisposition toward thinking about animals, Googling them, Googling baby horses, collecting cat jpegs, plastering my friends' Facebook walls with photos of baby animals and other behaviors unbecoming of an adult.

The Forever 21 World Wildlife Fund t-shirt collabo hits stores in July. The photo-print (LOVE a photo print!) collection consists of three tanks and fives tees, so collect 'em all. Each shirt is $14.80, and $1 from each shirt sold will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund. The tees look a little short, which I'm not that into, but the polar bear tank melts my heart in a way that I wish global warming were not melting the earth.

Eee! A baby gorrilla!

Eee! An elephant!

Yiii! Panda!

ZOMG! A baby polar bear face!

GAH! Baby leopard be my friend!

DOUBLE HEADS!

RAWORRL!

HAI!

Not part of the collection, but I wish.

I Helped Support Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Campaign To Fight Breast Cancer

Last year, I helped fight breast cancer by walking over 39 miles in the Avon Walk For Breast Cancer. This year... I put on a shirt. Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Polo. I was one of 100 bloggers asked to photograph ourselves in a Ralph Lauren Pink Pony Polo as part of the Ralph Lauren 100 Bloggers Unite Against Cancer Campaign.

Ralph Lauren's efforts in the fight against breast cancer has spanned more than 20 years. But this year is the 10th anniversary of Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Fund For Cancer Care And Prevention, which is dedicated to helping the medically underserved receive quality cancer care and preventative care.

You can support the Pink Pony Fund by purchasing some lovely, luxe, limited-edition stuff. 100% of the proceeds of the luxury items  -- a startlingly chic hot pink Alligator Ricky 33 bag and a corresponding alligator cuff with Cooper Lock -- go to the Pink Pony Fund. You can also participate in the Pink Pony public auction from October 1st to October 21st at CharityBuzz.com. 100% of proceeds from the auction benefit the Pink Pony Fund. Sadly, Nacho Figueras is not included in the limited-edition luxury products nor the auction. But during the month of October, you can text "PINKPONY" to 501501 to automatically donate $10.

Finally, you can shop the Pink Pony collection -- a portion of all sales of Pink Pony products supports the Pink Pony Fund for Cancer Care and Prevention.

+ Check out Ralph Lauren's 100 Bloggers Unite Against Cancer Campaign at AOL Stylist.