Amidst all the glitter and sparkle of the holiday season, it’s important to know whether the brands we’re supporting with our purchases are in turn doing something meaningful to support the communities in which they do business. It’s a relevant question all year long, but particularly at the year-end holidays. Many local charities rely on donations garnered at this time of year to support their programs all year long. While you may be making a number of charitable contributions on your own, here at Dandelion Chandelier we thought that you might also want to know what some of the leading global luxury brands and retailers are doing to lend a hand to those in need right now. Here’s a sample of the philanthropic activity underway in the luxury sphere for holiday 2017:
Louis Vuitton has designed a sterling silver pendant in the shape of a lock and a matching bracelet, and is partnering for the second year in a row with UNICEF to help children in urgent need. For each sale of the Silver Lockit pendant ($600) and sterling silver bracelet ($500), $200 will be donated to UNICEF; $100 will be donated for the sale of a Silver Lockit Color bracelet ($250) – the color bracelets come in blue, yellow, pink, purple and black.
Next week, Valentino will begin selling a limited edition t-shirt that Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli designed to support Every Mother Counts, a non-profit organization founded by Christy Turlington Burns dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother, everywhere. The t-shirts will be sold at Valentino’s Fifth Avenue boutique in New York City and on Valentino.com, and are $100 each. 100% of the net proceeds of all sales will be donated to Every Mother Counts. They will be available at Valentino Fifth Avenue starting November 30th and online starting December 1st.
Dior’s online charitable initiative is called the Dior Love Chain. It comprises a three-minute spot airing on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Sina Weibo, in which each person responds to the question: “And you, what would you do for love?” Individuals — in the real world — are then meant to post their video answers — that can come in any creative form — with the hashtag #diorlovechain. For each post put online, Dior is donating $1 to the WE Charity (known formerly as Free the Children) — specifically it’s WE Schools program in Kenya, which aims to give education to young girls there. Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, Bella Hadid, Rihanna and Charlize Theron, are among the celebrities participating in the campaign.
This year, New York’s Bergdorf Goodman has brought a philanthropic twist to its store window displays. The windows feature fantastical visuals in a homage to seven iconic and emerging New York charities. In partnership with Bergdorf’s, each charity has created custom products and experiences that will be exclusively available at the store or on the website BG.com. Ten percent of the retail price of all items purchased – and 100% of the proceeds from any experience purchased – will be donated to the corresponding institution:
- New York Historical Society: consider an exclusive Loro Piana scarf; or take an exclusive private tour with the Chief Historian inside the new Center for Women’s History and have lunch at the Storico Restaurant – $1,500 for up to five guests.
- American Museum of Natural History: fine jewelry designers have created “magical creature pieces,” including butterfly necklaces from James Bank; a Marquetry Tree Butterfly Clutch from Silvia Furmanovich; a collection of butterfly rings from Glenn Spiros, comprised of rubies, pink sapphires and diamonds; an assortment of brooches from David Webb featuring a bee, a salamander and a hummingbird accented with precious stones; a Stephen Webster Moth Cuff with black diamonds and blue and orange sapphires; and a diamond Dragonfly Ring by Lorraine Schwartz.
- Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM): take in a performance of Long Day’s Journey into Night in spring 2018, including an intimate dinner with members of the cast on May 20, 2018. $2,500 per ticket. In-store, you’ll find an exclusive shopper by Hayward.
- New York Philharmonic: go for an exclusive pair of Master & Dynamic headphones, or experience the Oscar-winning film Amadeus projected onscreen while the Phil performs the soundtrack live – two prime orchestra seats and post-concert green room reception on April 14, 2018. $2,000 for two tickets.
- Museum of the Moving Image: for the ultimate children’s birthday party, Bergdorf’s is offering an exclusive package in partnership with The Jim Henson Exhibition – a behind-the-scenes tour, puppeteer lesson and a private party with face painting and cake. $5,000 for 10 children. There’s also a capsule collection of tees and hoodies for kids and adults alike designed in collaboration with hot streetwear brand KITH.
- Urban Glass: you can purchase works by respected and celebrated artists Rob Wynne, Rob Pruitt, Keith Sonnier, and Lynda Benglis; or enjoy a personalized private glass-blowing lesson with KEEP Designs artisans Susan Spiranovich and Adam Holtzinger at their Brooklyn studio. $2,500 for up to 12 guests.
- New York Botanical Garden: Master the art of floral design from an expert and create your own arrangement during at class that the NYBG Midtown Education Center in Manhattan. $2,650 for up to 10 guests. In-store, there will be botanical-inspired jewelry, including Santo by Zani’s petal pendant necklaces, and Daniela Kronfle’s 18K rose gold Gardenia rings encrusted with diamonds, available with malachite or lapis lazuli. Plus a floral umbrella designed by Adam Lippes.
Barneys New York recently unveiled its holiday windows, done in collaboration with L.A.-based design duo the Haas Brothers. It’s charitable outreach for the season is called “Haas for the Holidays,” and the recipient this year is the Children’s Defense Fund. CDF’s mission is to ensure every child has the chance for a successful, healthy, and safe start in life. For every social media post using the holiday campaign hashtag #HAASRULES between the dates of November 16, 2017, and January 1, 2018, the Barneys New York Foundation will give the Children’s Defense Fund $5.
Neiman Marcus has included philanthropy among the options in its annual Holiday Gift Book this year. A portion of every Fantasy Gift will be donated to the Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation, which brings art-enriching experiences to youth nationwide. In addition, one of the gifts being offered is for the benefit of Paper for Water. Founded by two young sisters, the nonprofit sells intricate handmade paper origami ornaments to fund clean-water wells. The paper is sourced from Seoul, and each ornament requires over 5 hours to fold its ornate design. Options include purchasing a single one for $50 (limit of 10 per customer) or purchasing a collection of 250 ornaments for $50,000.
Dylan’s Candy Bar has a fanciful idea for holiday philanthropy: numerous celebrities have designed candy mosaics that will be sold via an online auction, with proceeds going to the charity of the celebrity designer’s choice
Of course, the end of the holiday season shouldn’t mean the end of philanthropy. We just discovered a cool new way to build philanthropy into your everyday life – and clean out your closet at the same time!
Luxanthropy.com is a Los Angeles-based web site that enables people to resell their luxury fashion items and simultaneously contribute a portion of the proceeds to charity, officially launched this summer. Co-founded by Lisa Eisler and Jennifer Mann Hillman, its business model is similar to The Real Real. The difference is the charitable element: sellers decide what percent commission they want to give to Luxanthropy’s charity partners (there’s a suggested minimum of 5 percent). Then Luxanthropy contributes 5 percent of its proceeds to the same charity. Current recipients of charitable funds include The Art of Elysium, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, The Eva Longoria Foundation, Face Forward, Help USA, Otis College of Art & Design Scholarship Fund, Shane’s Inspiration and Women’s Cancer Research Fund.
Seriously, how cool is that?
Happy holidays.
