Shop for a Cause

I'm a sucker for buying products that support a particular cause. I mean, if you're going to go shopping anyways, why not help someone less fortunate out in the process? Bear with me as a share some of my faves with you. (Please note: You will not see any "Pink" products here. Why? Because I have issues with it, and I think Support Pink or whatever the hell you want to call it gets enough attention already. Moving on.)

(RED) has been one of my favorite causes for quite a few years now. They have evolved over time to include numerous, popular products to consumers.

Three or four years ago, GAP offered a pretty diverse and unique (PRODUCT) RED™ line online. I can't remember how I first stumbled upon them, probably from casual window shopping, but I was fortunate enough to pick up a few tees, a bracelet and a really awesome, large tote bag. They still offer (PRODUCT) RED™, but now the products are limited to Artist Edition T-Shirts. Here are a couple of my faves:

You can find more (RED) Products here. 

"Books on shirts. Shirts on a mission. Out of Print celebrates the world’s great stories through fashion. Our shirts feature iconic and often out of print book covers. Some are classics, some are just curious enough to make great t-shirts, but all are striking works of art. We work closely with artists, authors and publishers to license the content that ends up in our collections. Each shirt is treated to feel soft and worn like a well-read book. In addition to spreading the joy of reading through our tees, we acknowledge that many parts of the world don't have access to books at all. We are working to change that. For each shirt we sell, one book is donated to a community in need through our partner Books For Africa."

I came across this site while stalking reading another blog. I'm sorry, but for the life of me, I can't remember which one it was. Seriously, I have got to start writing this stuff down. Here are some of my favorite tees from Out of Print (I bought the Atlas Shrug tee as a graduation gift to myself. I can't wait until it shows up!):

You can find more Out of Print products here.

UPDATE/FYI: Out of Print has the BEST customer service I have ever had the fortune to deal with. When my order was placed on back order, Jeff (yes, the customer service guy's name is Jeff) called me two days after I placed my order to inform me. And then, when a week and a half had passed and I still hadn't received my order or received any updated information, I emailed customer service expressing my concern about not receiving my order before I moved, and Jeff called me within an hour of me sending my email. Not only are they going to expedite my order, but they're going to upgrade my shipping free of charge so I can receive it before I leave. 

I ♥ them.

"Nest is a nonprofit organization that empowers female artists and artisans around the world. Using a unique combination of interest-free microfinance loans, mentoring from established designers, as well as a market in which to sell their crafts, Nest helps its loan recipients create successful small businesses. Nest instills pride of ownership, preserves ancient artistic traditions and successfully moves women from poverty to self-sufficiency."

I  stumbled upon Nest ages ago. They offer a wide variety of items. Products are made by loan recipient artisans from around the world as well as domestic artisans. Here are some of my faves:

You can find more Nest Products here.

(For more about that fantastic funky green and blue bag with the ruler lining, check out what I have to say about it here.)

Thanks for stickin' through that, now, go. Go shop for a cause.