October is breast cancer awareness month and companies are already getting ready with pink merchandise. National Jeweler reports that jewelry designers Jane Basch and Andrea Candela are both debuting jewelry collections that will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Jane Basch's latest collection is called "Tribute" and for every piece purchased from he collection Basch will contribute 5 percent to the Komen foundation.
Andrea Candela's limited-edition "Pink Ribbon" collection is made with sterling silver, enamel and stainless steel. It includes a bracelet for $50 and two pendants accented with a pink ribbon, for $100 each. A portion of each sale will also be donated to the Komen foundation.
It's not quite Brad Pitt body wash but the architecture-loving dad has teamed up with Kiehl's on their new new Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser. The product is the popular skincare brand's first item that is completely eco-friendly right down to the packaging and is certified by Cradle to Cradle. Pitt won't be appearing on the bottle or in the advertising but he did pen a hand-written note that will be on the bottle. All the profits benefit JPF Eco Systems, a charitable foundation created by Kiehl's and Brad to support global environmental initiatives. The project hopes to raise $1 million for charity with the first funds raised earmarked for Pitt's Make It Right foundation, which builds eco-friendly housing for those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
On September 12th you'll have your chance to bid on celebrity shoes and help stamp out lung cancer through the Roy Castle Centre's event, De-Feet Lung Cancer Campaign. Fancy a pair from Dame Judi Dench or feel like walking a mile in Harry Potter's shoes? Even Spice Girl Melanie C will have shoes on the auction block. Unfortunately it seems you can't view the shoes before the 12th but when the site goes live get on and put your bid in for a great cause across the pond.
Starting this Friday, August 15th at 10am, eBay will be hosting the Sightsavers Auction 'Specs Appeal' supported by such celebrities as Ewan McGregor, Michael Caine and BBC's Kate Silverton. Over twenty celebs are donating their specs to help alleviate blindness and ensure the preservation of sight for millions around the world particularly in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. You can pick up a famous pair online yourself between August 15th and August 24th with prices starting at just £15 -- the equivalent of ten pairs in the developing world. Glasses are a fantastic accessory and you can make a statement with starlike panache and charitable spirit.
In commemoration of their final appearance together (scheduled for August 7th at Madison Square Garden) auctions started this week on eBay for a complete set of Police instruments autographed by the band. The set includes 4 instruments that are each available for bidding separately and include Sting's Signature Bass, Sting's Sennheiser Microphone and Stand, Andy's Signature Fender Telecaster, and Stewart's Tama Star Drum Set.
100% of the proceeds will go to benefit Public Television Rocks! in honor of their dedication to art, music, and culture.
Saks Fifth Avenue along with the Entertainment Industry Foundation recently announced that Gwyneth Paltrow will act as the new ambassador for the 2008 Key to the Cure, a women's cancer initiative. Karl Lagerfeld has designed the exclusive tee for the cause, with all proceeds going to cancer research.
The weekend-long shopping event is slated for October 16 through October 19 at Saks stores nationwide and online at saks.com. Two percent of proceeds from the weekend's totals will be donated to the Women's Cancer Research Fund. Now in its 10th year, the annual Key to the Cure event has raised over $28 million for cancer research and treatment programs.
I had no idea that Oprah Winfrey had a car collection but she does and she's auctioning off three vehicles from her private collection: a red 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing formerly owned by the DuPont family, a 1988 Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible given to her by John Travolta and a 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante to benefit her school in Africa. The action will be held by by Gooding & Company and will take place at Pebble Beach on Saturday, August 16th and Sunday, August 17th. The auction catalogs are available for $100, which includes viewing and auction admission for two, while general admission is set at a price of $40 per person.
The 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is estimated to sell for $600,000-800,000, the 1988 Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible is estimated at $70,000-100,000 and the 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante is estimated at $50,000-65,000. Of course, because of the celebrity provenance, it is Oprah after all, these cars could sell for more. The vehicles will be on display August 13th through August 17th. The cars will be sold without reserve and 100% of the proceeds go to her school in South Africa.
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa, is located in a suburb outside Johannesburg and provides education for girls. It opened in January 2007 and offers a private learning and residential environment for approximately 450 girls in grades 7-12, Oprah has already donated more than $40 million toward the creation of the Academy.
Designer Harry Allen crafted his resin cast gold finished piggy bank as part of his series, Reality. And in our current economic climate, everyone wants to look more penny pincher than spendthrift, whether you are truly concerned about your investments or have conscientiously decided to be a happy person just one-Birkin-fewer. With this piece on a shelf somewhere, your frugal side makes its subtle yet cheeky appearance and your charitable side does too: Allen will donate 5% of proceeds to The Humane Society. Available in gold or chrome finish at Moss online for $195.
We've seen the rise of "voluntourism" and eco-tourism of the luxe variety (think private bugalow in Figi, not hippie yurt). But giving back and luxury travel have rarely been an oft-cited pair. Until, that is, CharityFolks.com came on the scene, crafting unique travel plans including exclusive meet-and-greets like an evening with the cast of The Sopranos, then sending along the proceeds to charity. Each trip functions as an auction, so you'll need to get your virtual paddle up if you want to claim jaunts like a weekend at the Newport Jazz Festival, or luxe accommodations at Vail. The site hosts more traditional charity auctions as well, which have been written about here in the past, but if you planned to stay at the Four Seasons whilst touring Provence anyway, why not do it through an organization that will then donate on your behalf to UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center?
Tonic Generation offers just one product in many styles (T-shirts) but donates on average 40 percent of its revenue. The organization partners with designers and causes to create limited edition products in these areas: the environment, education, social welfare and poverty. Luella Bartley recently designed four T-shirts with names like Stag, Scary Douglas, Pagan Sun, and Robin. Each has been designed especially for Tonic. Made of a 70-30 bamboo/cotton blend, the fabric does not harm the environment and has been produced according to ethical practices. Tonic is similar to iGive in that you can choose your cause and track your impact. Read the FAQs for more info on how it works!
Nineteen to-covet designers including Oscar de la Renta, Manolo Blahnik, Alberta Ferretti and Christian Louboutin are teaming up with Warner Brothers and Swarovski to reinvent Dorothy's ruby slippers to commemorate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. This time, we're not in Kansas anymore. Based on some of the designer sketches we've seen, we're talking Swarovski-fied, ruby red protect-me-from-the-evil-witch stilettos. Basically what sweet little Anne Hathaway could have used in The Devil Wears Prada.
Each designer will craft a mere two pairs, and the shoes will make their debut September 4 during New York Fashion Week, posing in Saks Fifth Avenue's window before moving on to Miami's Art Basel and further appearances throughout 2009. The iconic slippers will then be auctioned off with proceeds going to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
When contemporary art cult fave Shepard Fairey started "campaigning" for Barack Obama, he created original collages assembling inspiring portraits of Obama above titles like HOPE, PROGRESS and CHANGE. We saw them silkscreened on tee shirts worn by the likes of Ryan Phillippe that soon became impossible to get, selling for thousands on eBay. Now for the true connoisseur -- of politics and art -- the rare opportunity exists to bid on one of the original three pieces, OBAMA HOPE. Currently at $60,000, the piece is being auctioned by Westport, CT-based CharityBuzz, which will donate profits to the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, providing access to the arts to disadvantaged urban youth. CharityBuzz will accept bids until July 24, but if you miss this potentially revolutionary piece of art, you can at least order the sticker version online at Sticker Robot. Big spender yours truly just snagged ten of them.
The price of magazines is going up all the time but this is really excessive, now there will be a gold and diamond cover of a women's magazine. A gold and diamond covered version of of the style magazine, Kohl, will be auctioned for charity in October and is expected to bring in more than than $10,000. ITP Lifestyle, the publisher of style magazine Kohl, partnered with Emirates-based jeweler Damas to create the unique cover which features 622 diamonds. The magazine will be auctioned to raise money for the Rashid Pediatric Therapy Center in Dubai. The gilded front cover features Indian actress Katrina Kaif and it took the craftsmen more than 86 hours to hand-apply layers of gold leaf to a specially-treated edition of the original magazine.
Singer Rihanna, shown here performing at the This Day Africa Rising concert in Abuja, Nigeria, has a new gig, starring in Gucci's first ad campaign for Unicef. Gucci does a holiday campaign with the children's charity each year, selling branded merchandise and donating a portion of the proceeds. This year's "Tattoo Heart" campaign will be out in December and will show Rihanna in the Gucci products, of which 25 percent of sales will go to Unicef. Rihanna also her own charity, The Believe Foundation, which also benefits children.