Accessorize Into Action: Fashion That Benefits Charity

Looking to support your favorite cause, sport celebrity-endorsed products or justify some seemingly superfluous spending?

Tons of designers have hopped on the benevolence bandwagon and created items whose proceeds go to charity. Whether you’re in it for the philanthropy or the fashion, check out some of the coolest ways to give back in style this season.

TOTE IT

“I Am Beyond” Bags by Jodi Guber and Andre Charles $65 These totes come in five different varieties, each endorsed by a different celeb. (For example, Reese Witherspoon’s pick is “I am beyond blessed” while Jennifer Aniston went with “I am beyond grateful.”). Thirty percent of the proceeds go to The Art of Elysium, which encourages performing artists and entertainers to reach out to sick kids. Find it here.

Laura Bush’s Feed Bags $30-$195 Investing in one of these versatile burlap or canvas totes can bring a whole lot of meals to hungry kids across the globe. For only $30, the FEED 100 model (sold at Whole Foods) buys 100 school meals for children in Rwanda, and at a price of $100, the larger FEED 2 tote covers the cost of feeding two school children for an entire year. Find it here.

The Kiss Tote by Ralph Lauren $10 Ralph Lauren and students at the Harvey Milk School in NYC partnered to create these colorful canvas bags in support of gay, lesbian and transgender students and their needs. They come in a few varieties (screened with either “I kiss girls” or “I kiss boys”) and proceeds benefit the Hetrick Martin Institute, which offers support for LGBT youth. Find it here.

WALK IT

TOMS Shoes $44-$70 Buy a pair of these trendy slippers and TOMS will give one away to a kid in need. Started by American traveler Blake Mycoskie back in 2006, TOMS Shoes has since given away more than 140,000 pairs of shoes to kids across the world who would otherwise be barefoot. Find it here.

Dorothy SlippersAuction sponsored by Swarovski and Warner Bros. $1000 + **Spenders alert: unless you’re feeling extra generous and drowning in cash, these slippers might be best saved for window-shopping** Hollywood and the crystal industry paired up to challenge designers to create the most beautiful remakes of Dorothy’s ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Designers like Manolo Blahnik and Giuseppe Zanotti rose to the occasion and produced fabulously glitzy creations, which are being auctioned online. Proceeds go to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Find it here.

WEAR IT

Cindy Crawford’s Breast Cancer Awareness T-Shirt $18 (on sale from $60!!!) Half the proceeds from this faded pink fitted tee go to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength and breast cancer awareness. Find it here.

OmniPeace T-Shirts $30-$118 Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Sheryl Crow have all supported Mary Fanaro’s “Stamp Out Violence Against Women and Girls of the Congo” t-shirt campaign. Also be sure to check out the hats, bags, bracelets, yoga mats and chocolate bars. Find it here.

Elizabeth and James Breast Cancer Awareness Necklace $58 Sold only on shopbop.com, this long feather-pendant chain designed for Elizabeth and James represents ShopBop’s support for the Breast Cancer Network of Strength and breast cancer awareness. Find it here.

APPLY IT

Sephora’s 1 In 8 Balmshell Lip Gloss $22 By donating $1 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation from every 1 In 8 tubes that are sold, this sheer milky pink gloss serves to remind people that 1 in every 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Find out more.

Viva Glam VI Lipstick and Lipglass by MAC $14 Join stars like Fergie and support people living with AIDS when you purchase MAC’s Viva Glam VI lipstick. Every cent of the selling price goes directly to the MAC AIDS Fund, which has raised more than $135 million to date. Find it here.

Sources: http://www.shoppingblog.com and the above links