FREEWATERS

Problem: Over 3,000,000 people die every year from unsafe water, most under the age of 5. That’s more than die from war annually.

Mission: Your new expertly innovated flip flops = one year of clean drinking water for an individual in a poverty stricken rural community.

WARBY PARKER

Problem: 1. Glasses are way too expensive. 2. One billion people don’t have access to glasses. That means 15% of the world is unable to work and learn effectively because they cannot see clearly.

Mission: Buy a pair of vintage inspired glasses for $95, they give a pair to someone in need.

TOMS

Problem: Hundreds of millions of children are at risk of contracting STDs (soil transmitted diseases) from volcanic and chemically contaminated soil. These diseases are 100% preventable by wearing shoes.

Mission: For every pair of shoes you buy, they give a pair to a child in need. And they don’t stop giving after that child outgrows them.

SUR EVOLUTION

Problem: Artisans across the world do not have a proper marketplace for their work, and thus are living in poverty.

Mission: Empower artisans by selling their products at fair trade prices, using sustainable materials and, respecting nature and cultures.

ORGANIC SURGE

Problem: 1. Our toiletries contain a staggering amount of harsh chemicals. 2. There are a staggering number of children in Africa living in poverty.

Mission: Proceeds from range of chemical-free beauty products goes to providing emotional and financial aid to vulnerable children in Africa.

Controversy bells ring yet again through the pages of Vogue. It is safe to say that there are no more racially stereotypical cover shots subliminally portraying NBA athletes as members of the primate family. This time, however, Vogue India has put critics in uproar over a 16-page spread featuring the indigent and impoverished decorated with designer accessories. From costly Hermes Birkin bags to Fendi bibs and more, critics fear that the poverty of India is exploited and augmented as the models, or should we say “props,” flaunt accessories they cannot even afford to dream about. Despite the claims that fashion is art, no matter how it is portrayed, we as human beings must ask ourselves one very crucial question: Where should the fashion industry draw the line between expression of fashion as art and expression of fashion as unethical, chagrin and downright disrespectful?

Thanks Jezebel!