How to use fashion to promote your worthy cause.
Stars like George Clooney and Natalie Portman use their celebrity status to make the planet a better place. Natalie looked gorgeous on the Oscars red carpet but she wasn’t just wearing a designer dress she was also wearing a cause on her sleeve. She was making a charitable fashion statement to draw attention to initiatives to open up access to education for girls in the developing world. Click here to see her video for Save the Children
Why I’m like Natalie Portman
I like to think I have something in common with Natalie Portman. Okay, I’m a little older than her (just a bit) and I haven’t won an Academy award (nor did I graduate from Harvard and I’m not expecting a child) but I do believe that fashion should be a tool for good. With the right knowledge and advice you can use it to promote yourself, your business and your career. But you can also use it to promote a charitable cause and that’s something Natalie and I both do.
Wearing your heart on your sleeve
This spring with the help of numerous like-minded business women friends we’ve put together a team for the The Attire to Inspire Fashion Challenge. This is to support Suit Yourself, an Edmonton based organization that helps disadvantaged women build wardrobes for their job search and careers. www.suityourselfclothes.org
Edmonton’s best dressed
The Attire to Inspire Fashion Challenge is an exciting new event that will challenge companies and groups to compete to be named Edmonton’s best-dressed, all in support of Suit Yourself. This will test my image consultant advice and abilities.
The rules are fun and simple
After organizing a clothing collection, each team will be challenged to build three looks: 1) business success; 2) casual Friday; and 3) special occasion glam. Photographs of each look will be submitted and the finalists in each category will model their outfit at Suit Yourself’s 3rd Annual Afternoon Tea on Sunday, June 5, in Edmonton. Teams will also be challenged to create and host their own fundraising event in support of Suit Yourself. A panel of judges will award prizes to the winning teams in each outfit category, along with the team that has raised the most money in support of Suit Yourself.
Our team – Style Power
We have put together a team of 8 dynamic entrepreneurial women and are committed to raising funds. We’ve decided to call ourselves Style Power. We’ve identified our models and are working on ways to find clothing and donations The great news is that regardless of where our team places, the outfits, complete with accessories will be donated to Suit Yourself after the tea.
Spring clean your wardrobe for a good cause
We invite colleagues and clients to support this worthwhile project. Mark Sunday, June 5 to attend the afternoon tea and contact myself to make a donation. It might be good time to spring clean your wardrobe, visit the Suit Yourself website to make a clothing donation.
Helping in your own community – You and Natalie
I encourage you to look for opportunities to make a difference in your community. It could be along the lines of using our fashion event as a template how to raise funds or volunteering your time or expertise to help others. Then you can say you and Natalie Portman have something in common.