Help bring color to the lives of hospitalized children.

Started by a young woman whose friend died of cancer The Art of Elysium brings artists, musicians, comedians, writers and yes many A-Listers out to hospitals throughout the Los Angeles area to share their talents with children. This wonderful cause is in its 13th year and is now branching out so people just like you and I can take advantage of opportunities to help needy children. Create a different outlook for these children, by bringing the inspiration to them.  Here’s a few ways you can help with just a few mouse clicks…

Tune into this album and bring the sound of music to needy children.

“ELYSIUM” compilation album created by longtime Elysium fundraiser and supporter Elijah Wood is now available at  iTunes. The eclectic album consists of songs from the Kills, the Soft Pack, Ty Segall, Sonic Youth, Sleepy Sun, Black Mountain, and Sleigh Bells. Keep music alive for young children and support the Art of Elysium  and its music programming by purchasing this inspiring album.

Click here to purchase the album.

Shop away ladies and be a supporter of The Art of Elysium.

We are giving you a great reason to buy that Coach purse from their new Poppy Collection. Three bags have been selected to represent The Art of Elysium charity picked by actress Rachel Bilson. The promotion will run through July 28th with a portion of  the proceeds from the sale of each bag going towards the charity.

Click here to purchase a purse.

Hear great music and support a great cause, Elysium Sessions is an Artist Services program that provides the opportunity for volunteer Musicians to not only share their music talents with children but perform. Attend one of their performances and sales directly benefit The Art of Elysium’s music programming.  Inspire the sound of music for those who need it the most.

Click here to purchase concert tickets.

Donate $25 and let the imagination of hospitalized children soar. When you donate $25 Art of Elysium Summer Art Kit Campaign you delivering a art kit to a critically ill child’s bedside. Bring color and creativity to a special child’s life by supporting this cause.

Want to learn more about this cause and find more ways to help check out their website.

Source:  Fashion Newspaper

July 2010
Interactive Workshops Open Doors in San Francisco this July and New York City later this Fall

Since its inception in 1873 as one of the original purveyors of American workwear, the Levi’s® brand has been the uniform of choice for great American pioneers. Levi’s® jeans have been worn by the craftsmen, laborers and artisans who helped define the cultural landscape in America and have shaped the energy and events of our times. This week, the Levi’s® brand celebrates a new generation of pioneers and creative communities across the country with the launch of Levi’s® Workshops. Taking a new, innovative approach to integrating community involvement with retailing, the first Levi’s® Workshop debuts this week in San Francisco followed by a second expression of the program later this fall in New York City. The Levi’s® Workshops will be multi-use spaces, featuring a functional workshop, community event space and retail storefront. Each Workshop is designed to focus on a specific craft including printmaking in the San Francisco Workshop and photography in the New York City shop.

The Levi’s® Workshops will serve as community-based extensions of the brand’s Go Forth marketing campaign, paying homage to the principles of hard work and civic engagement. Central to the Workshop program will be collaborations with recognized pioneers from each community. For eight weeks, each Levi’s® Workshop will open its doors to the general public and host a range of interactive demonstrations, educational programming and events.

The first of the Levi’s® Workshops will open to the public this week in San Francisco’s Mission district, just down the street from one of Levi’s® original factories. Located at 580-582 Valencia Street, the Workshop will feature letterpress, silkscreen and photocopy equipment for local artists and designers to create their own print-based artwork. Community groups and non-profit organizations will also be invited to access these resources and work with the Workshop staff. The space will also offer Levi’s® denim and workwear product that embodies the spirit and craft of print design.

To leverage the energy of the Levi’s® Workshops, the brand has invited local pioneers to execute printmaking-based collaborations including:

–  Alice Waters – chef, author and proprietor of Chez Panisse Restaurant in
Berkeley, California. Waters is also the Vice President of Slow Food
International and a leader of the culinary philosophy based on using
only the freshest organic products served in season. Waters’ commitment
to education led to the creation of The Edible Schoolyard, a one-acre
garden and adjacent kitchen classroom at Berkeley’s Martin Luther King
Jr. Middle School which has grown into a national program.  For her
collaboration with the Levi’s® Workshops, Waters is working with a
longtime design collaborator to create an educational poster for the
Edible Schoolyard. “Levi’s® is bringing together art, food and the
local community,” said Alice Waters. “This is what Chez Panisse has
always been about and what excites me most about the Levi’s®
Workshops.”
–  Craig Newmark – an Internet entrepreneur best known for founding the San
Francisco-based website Craigslist.org, a site where people can help
each other with everyday needs including housing and jobs searches. The
site embraces a culture of trust, based on shared values. Newmark’s
resume includes thirty years working with computers for leading
companies including IBM, GM, Charles Schwab & Co., and Bank of America.
Newmark has partnered with the Levi’s® Workshops, combining his
expertise in digital media with manual printmaking to share powerful
messages.
–  Aaron Rose – artist, film director, curator and writer. Rose directed
the documentary film Beautiful Losers (2008) and recently completed the
short documentary film Become a Microscope based on the life of the
1960s artist/activist nun Sister Corita. Rose’s publishing imprint
Alleged Press releases hardcover books by contemporary artists.
Levi’s® Workshops celebrates his pioneering work as an advocate for
positive creative voices in the arts.  “I am thrilled to be able to
bring the work of Sister Corita to the Levi’s® Workshops in San
Francisco,” said Rose. “Corita is a huge inspiration to me, and
hopefully will have the same effect on the people who take part in our
workshop.”

“The Levi’s® Workshops celebrate the pioneering spirit and hard work of people and organizations that we admire,” said Joshua Katz, head of Collaborations, Partnerships & Creative Concepts for the Levi’s® brand. “It’s all about community, creativity and collaboration. Through the programming, the various production projects and the public resources that we are providing, we are able to collaborate with local heroes who have mastered their craft while inviting in the broader community to roll up their sleeves and get to work.”

Levi’s® Workshops will encourage global involvement through a dedicated website, various social media platforms and syndicated daily content. The website will launch alongside the San Francisco Workshop in early July. Original content supported by articles from renowned guest bloggers will be posted daily, in addition to updates on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. Supporting the written content will be a series of films highlighting the spirit of the Levi’s® Workshops. These films will be a catalyst for
spreading the message of the Levi’s® Workshops while documenting the activity happening inside each environment. The website will also include opportunities to purchase Levi’s® products offered in the Levi’s® Workshops. For more information about Levi’s® Workshops and a full list of events, please visit http://workshops.levi.com.

About The Levi’s® Brand

The Levi’s® brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Levi’s® jeans were invented by Levi Strauss & Co. in 1873 and have since become one of the most recognized and imitated clothing items in the world – capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. Today, the Levi’s® brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry. Our range of leading jeanswear and accessories are available in more than 110 countries, allowing individuals around the world to express their personal style. For more information about the Levi’s® brand, its products and stores, please visit http://www.levi.com.

Source:  New York Times: Fashion

Posted: 6-8-10

Forever 21 has been sued more than 50 times over the past three years for allegedly knocking off other people’s clothing designs. Not too long ago, Trovata’s high-profile case against the company was brought before a jury, in what was hoped to result in a landmark ruling in knockoff regulations. But the knockoff fight is a hard one for a victim to legally win, and the weary Trovata ended up settling. The genius mind behind Forever 21′s practically iron-clad designer-imitation design business is CEO Don Chang, and The Wall Street Journal shares his story today. After moving to L.A. from Korea in the early eighties, he pumped gas, among his many first jobs as a new immigrant. The gas led him to his calling: After he noticed that clothing-store owners had the nicest cars, he knew where he belonged. After all, L.A. is a place where nice cars really matter.

So Chang opened Fashion 21 in L.A. in 1984. He enjoyed sales of $947 million in 2005, more than doubled those to $2.3 billion in 2009, and expects to do $3.2 billion in sales this year. Most of his 480 Forever 21 stores are in the U.S., but he hopes to open 100 eventually in Japan, where he just opened his fourth store. And don’t forget that a Forever 21 that is so massive it’s terrifying is about to open in Times Square. But Chang’s personal touches remain:

The Los Angeles fast-fashion retailer famously has “John 3:16” printed on the bottom of its yellow shopping bags, a reference to a New Testament scripture.

“That’s my purpose of life,” said Mr. Chang, a lifelong Christian.

We are curious as to when Chang decided to change the store name from Fashion 21 to Forever 21, which is pretty brilliant since it encapsulates that thing so many women want, which is to look 21 years old forever. And no matter how much its purported shoddy labor practices and knockoffs bother us, we all shop there anyway.