Same Sky, a jewelry initiative that empowers HIV-positive women in Rwanda announced today their first retail partnership with leading fashion design house DKNY to launch a new line of fabric wrap bracelets just in time for the holiday season. Same Sky's fabric wrap bracelets are hand-made from Rwandan textiles and are adorned with colorful hand-blown glass beads. The bracelets which retail for $40, are 35"-38" in length (wraps around 4-5 times on wrists 7"-9"), and can also be worn as a necklace or hair accessory.
Founded by EMMY Award winning producer and social entrepreneur Francine LeFrak, SAME SKY's mission is to empower women worldwide by giving them a hand up not a hand-out. Same Sky's bracelets are hand-crocheted by HIV-positive women artisans who survived the Rwandan genocide of 1994. During the genocide, women in Rwanda were subjected to sexual violence on a massive scale. According to the International Criminal Tribunal, more than 250,000 women were raped and, of the survivors, approximately 70% were infected with HIV/AIDS. In addition, they were left impoverished after their husbands, fathers, and brothers were murdered. SAME SKY was born with the goal of empowering these women to rebuild their lives and communities.
The artisans making SAME SKY bracelets work in a collective and are free to discuss social issues such as domestic violence, western medicine, and how to open a bank account. SAME SKY also provides the women artisans with a daily stipend that covers transportation to and from work and a daily meal so they can take their HIV medicine. The wage our artisans earn is 15 times the average wage made by most women in sub-Saharan Africa and ensures they can provide food, education, and healthcare for their entire family.
"Donna Karan is an incredible philanthropist who deeply understands the ethical shopping movement and the need to inspire and empower women globally," stated Same Sky founder Francine LeFrak. "We are beyond thrilled to have DKNY launch our fabric wrap bracelets and tell the story of these incredible women artisans in Rwanda."
Same Sky's fabric wrap bracelets come in four color combinations: Tangled Up in Blue, Material Girl, Welcome to the Jungle, and Back in Black and can be purchased at DKNY stores in New York, Las Vegas, Boston, Costa Mesa, Honolulu, King of Prussia, PA, and London as well as online at DKNY.com. 100% of all net-profits from the sale of the bracelets are reinvested into expanding the business to other regions of the world and employing more women artisans. Same Sky began with 4 artisans in November 2009 and now employs over 50.
"By buying a bracelet you are not only giving a gift that is changing someone's life, you become a part of a movement empowering women everywhere and the men that support them under the same sky," concluded LeFrak.
About Same Sky
Founded in 2008 by Francine LeFrak, SAME SKY is a fair-trade company whose mission is to empower women worldwide and inspire a movement of women empowering women. Our inaugural project is based in Kigali, Rwanda, a country where women have become a leading voice in the peace process and currently hold 56% of the national parliamentary seats. Same Sky's trade-not-aid initiative uses jewelry to effect change in Rwanda - one woman at a time.
Same Sky provides employment opportunities to HIV-positive women, all of whom are survivors of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. These women artisans have been trained to crochet bracelets using our unique hand-blown glass beads - giving them a marketable skill and consistent employment, the two essential factors needed to rebuild their lives and those of their families.
SAME SKY is a part of the global movement lifting women out of poverty by giving them the tools to become entrepreneurs and lead self-sustaining lives. For more information, visit: http://www.samesky.com.
About Donna Karan International
Donna Karan International is one of the world's leading fashion design houses. It designs, market women's coats s and distributes collections of women's and men's apparel, sportswear, accessories and shoes under the Donna Karan and DKNY brand names. The Company has selectively granted licenses for the manufacture and distribution of beauty and beauty related products, jeanswear, activewear, men's furnishings, men's tailored clothing, hosiery, intimate apparel, coats, children's apparel, watches, eyewear and home. Since November 2001, Donna Karan International has been a part of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world's leading luxury goods group.
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