I don’t know about you guys, but I love socks with cool designs on them! It’s also always great to have a nice warm pair of socks under your boots in the snow or to show off when wearing a pair of athletic shoes. This next brand I am talking about specializes in creativity and gives back to the community all at once. The brand is called SKYLINE and they offer socks with different images, some being a specific skyline, that represent a certain city. They offer socks with patterns representing ten different cities that are all unique in design. When you purchase a sock associated with a city another pair of socks will be donated to someone from that city. The purpose of these socks is to bring people from a specific city together by providing two individuals with something symbolic, such as the image of the city skyline. The socks are very affordable and provide a great way to represent your hometown! Being from Chicago I found it fitting to post some of my favorite options they have available below. 

With winter approaching I thought this brand would be great to focus on for my next post. Roma is a company that makes boots and supports giving back to the community. They do so by giving to a child in need when someone purchases a pair of boots. The company has many different boot options available that range in style and colors. They strive to help children that live on the streets and orphans by providing them with a pair of boots filled with educational supplies. The goal of Roma is to provide children in need with a pair of shoes as well as the necessary supplies to encourage them to pursue an education. The company decided to make this their mission in hopes of eventually eliminating poverty and giving children the tools necessary to have an opportunity they might not have otherwise. If you are in need of boots in order to battle the snow this website is definitely one I recommend checking out! 

This week I had to go back to talking about one of my favorite brands even though I have mentioned it before. The reason I had to bring up this brand is because they have a special offer available at the moment. This offer allows you to buy the special edition bracelets that were previously only available for a limited amount of time. The brand is MyLokai and the offer included all five Lokai’s that have been created. This offer is great because it gives people a chance to purchase the bracelets again if the missed the chance before. Allowing them to be purchased again lets the donations continue and a great cause continues to be supported.

Clear=original one created supporting local causes

Camouflage=supports wildlife

Blue=supports providing clean drinking water

Pink=supports breast cancer

Red=supports the organization Save the Children

This next brand I am talking about gives back by donating one of their products to a cause rather then a specific charity. The brand is called Headbands of Hope and this name represents exactly the purpose of this company. When you purchase a headband through this company a headband is given to a child with cancer. They have had a lot of success when it comes to reaching a wide range of individuals, donating to every children’s hospital in the United States since 2012. Due to this success rate they have now launched a new category of accessories that are specifically categorized as The Hope Market. The Hope Market consists of a number of different items that contribute to a different childhood cancer charity every month. The headbands and accessories that are on the website are fashionable and come in many different styles and patterns. Other than headbands they offer things such as necklaces, hats, t-shirts, and hair ties.  I have not had a chance to purchase one of their products but would like to in the future based on their products reaching out to a great cause.      

Check out the items here: http://www.headbandsofhope.com/

A favorite brand of mine for jewelry, Alex and Ani, has a collection specifically created to give back to charities. These bracelets share the same design as the other ones offered apart from this specific collection, the only difference being the charms attached. Through purchasing one of these bracelets the company donates a portion of proceeds to a certain charity. You can choose a bracelet depending on the design or the specific charity that bracelet represents. The specific bracelets designed for giving back to a charity are based on things such as love, empowerment, and community. This means that each charm attached to that specific bracelet has a symbol representing one of these words. The charms vary based on the different charities and that charities mission or purpose. These designs representing a specific charity make the purchase more purposeful by providing some meaning behind the bracelet. The options are endless when it comes to picking a bracelet or charity to support so it is a great purchase that also gives back to the community. The Alex and Ani bracelets are super fashionable are great to pair with other bracelets. I personally do not own one from the charity collection but love the bracelet i own and am eager to purchase another one now knowing the charity collection exists. You can get your own by visiting the website below:

http://www.alexandani.com/charity-by-design/

The newest fashion accessory I would like to discuss is another bracelet by a company called Trrtlz. The bracelet is relatively small and easy to wear but has a large meaning behind its creation. Each bracelet looks relitively the same except each design on the beads is slightly different but not super noticeable. The reason the design varies is because each design has a different meaning. The purpose of these bracelets in the hope that the bracelets will be passed from one individual to the next if they feel that person could benefit from the meaning behind that specific design. The bracelets stand for things such as hope, love, or friendship depending one which specific bracelet you purchase. The bracelets sell for only $1 so instead of donating money to charities the company donates boxes of their product in order to encourage people to help each other through the meaning behind each bracelet. Purchasing these bracelets encourages people to reach out to others and help them along their journey by offering them a gift with some meaning.

My post today is about a brand of shoes that have been around for a while now but their popularity continues to grow. This brand is called Toms, and each shoe design that I have tried on by this brand is super comfortable so much so that I own three different models myself. The original shoe created is a slip on shoe that is easy to wear and very fashionable. The shoe is available in multiple colors and as the brand became more well known they expanded the designs and styles available. I own the original style, which fits like a gym shoe but does not have laces and is designed to be worn with everyday attire. I also have a style similar to the original one, which is pictured below. The difference is the material and the one below has holes for shoelaces but is not meant to be worn with laces. The third style I own has a heel and is meant to be worn with slightly dressier attire but still resembles a similar look to the other two. These are only a few of the options available but as you can see Toms does a great job of creating diversity among their shoes. On the inside of every shoe is a phrase stating the purpose of why the company was started which in summary is that for every pair of shoes purchased the company will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. With Toms you can have a shoe for every occasion while giving back to others around the world.

This bracelet is something I recently discovered and fell in love with the idea behind why the bracelet was created. These bracelets were designed as friendship bracelets that are meant to be passed from person to person. The website allows you to create your own design for the bracelet or they have options they created that you can choose from as well. The options are unlimited when it comes to picking out a color for the beads and each bracelet also includes beads with letters on them so the creator can spell out a word of their choice. The thing about this bracelet that got my attention is that each one comes with a tracking device. This allows everyone that has the bracelet to hold onto the tracking number and see how far the bracelet travels. Since these bracelets are meant to be passed around from one friend to the next the possibilities of where one might end up is endless. This company supports local charities so by purchasing a bracelet you are giving back to the community as well as giving to a friend. The bracelets range in price most being $18-$21 with some exceptions depending on what design you pick out. I just ordered mine and cannot wait to receive it in the mail! Since I do not have my bracelet yet I posted the link so anyone can check them out and order one of their own!

http://littlewordsproject.com/shop-2/

Aside from jewelry there are other great companies that feature products geared toward giving back. One product that I took a liking to are called Elephant Pants, which as given away by the title, the purpose of this product is to benefit elephants. There are many different pants available ranging in color and design all including a pattern with elephants. The company encourages people to purchase their products by offering a monthly package that includes a couple different items in addition to a pair of the elephant pants. The pants are extremely comfortable and I often find myself wearing them around the house or to bed. The pattern on the pants I own is very intricate and fun which allows me to mix and match it with many different articles of clothing. The Elephant Pants is the name of the company and their goal is to donate to the African Wildlife Foundation in hopes of stopping the use of illegal wildlife products. The website has both adult sizes as well as kids and the pants can be worn by any gender. The pants range from $18-25 but with every sale a portion is donated in hopes of saving the lives of elephants.   

I recently purchased a bracelet that is super fashionable and helps a great cause. The brand is called Me to We and they sell many different products in order to give a gift to a child or family within communities that are associated with Free the Children. The bracelet that I purchased comes in many different colors and is filled with a combination of multicolored beads, each bracelet varying in colors and patterns of how the beads are organized. The bracelet is a long strand that can be easily wrapped around your wrist or ankle to create a gorgeous and trendy piece of jewelry. The bracelet is $10 and is sold in many different stores so it is super easy to purchase. With the purchase of the bracelet comes a code on the back of the package, which you simply enter online and you can see a child/family you are helping with your purchase. Another cool aspect of these bracelets is that they are each hand made by a woman in Kenya. This allows these women to be a part of making a difference in their child or families life knowing of the possibility of these bracelets being purchased. This quality also makes each bracelet unique so even though some of the patterns are similar, no two are exactly the same.

Everyone loves accessorizing so why not accessorize with a purpose. There are many brands that promote supporting issues worldwide through the use of their products. One that I recently came across and took a liking to is MyLokai. The product is super fashionable and has a great message in addition to supporting many different causes with the purchase of a bracelet. The company originally came out with a clear bracelet with a white bead and one black that are placed directly across from each other. The purpose of the white bead is to carry a drop of water from Mount Everest, the highest point on earth. The black one has a similar purpose except it holds mud from the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. The meaning of wearing the highest and lowest points reminds one to stay humble and balanced remaining somewhere in between. With each purchase 10% of net profits will be given back to the community through different local charities. In addition, MyLokai comes out with different bracelets for certain occasions that are only available for a certain amount of time such as a wilderness bracelet and one for world water day. These bracelets still have the white and black beads but have fun and unique patterns. Who knows what they will come out with next! 

The picture above is of the two MyLokai that I own and never take off. They are super comfortable and go great with other jewelry! 

You can get one of your very own at: http://mylokai.com/