By Jamie Duncan / Source: Ecosalon

If you’re going to update your wardrobe this summer, consider investing in one of these charitable companies that are also fashion forward.

Let’s face it, whether you love it or hate it, the majority of us have to shop at one time or another. So wouldn’t it be nice to know that the retailer you’re giving your money to is also working behind the scenes to do good for the causes you care about?

Whether the focus is on animals or people, these companies have their hearts in the right place.

1. Sevenly

Sevenly’s name is a hint to the company’s charitable process. “Recognized as one of the world’s leading ‘social good’ companies,” fashion forward graphic tees is what the brand is known for, and each purchase will donate 7 percent of every sale to the Sevenly Foundation, with 100 percent of that amount going to one of 7 different charities. To date this business has donated more than $4 million to various organizations See the trend yet? Sevenly’s “epic causes,” or charitable groups, change throughout the year, but the choice of where your money goes is up to you, so long as the design falls under one of the easy to navigate charitable categories on the website.

2. Lemlem

Founded in 2007 by supermodel, actress, and maternal health advocate, Liya Kebede, Lemlem not only dedicates its business practices to empowering traditional weavers by sourcing products from women in Ethiopia, but the company also donates 5 percent of sales to its sister non-profit organization, The Liya Kebede Foundation, where members “work to address the top health concern of women in Africa – access to lifesaving maternity care.” Midwives are then trained to provide assistance in order to make childbirth safer near where Lemlem sources and manufacturers products.

3. Olsenhaus

Vegan shoe company founded by designer and animal advocate Elizabeth Olsen in August of 2008 in New York City, “was created to illustrate plundering, cruelty, and greed are not synonymous with true style.” The business creates beautiful footwear while also focusing on transparency and unwavering ethical and social values, so it’s no wonder that “Olsenhaus works with and donates to the country’s leading animals rights organizations for education and rescue,” often donating product for auction at fundraising events.

4. Freedom of Animals

With products that are “animal-free and made consciously in the U.S.A.,” Freedom of Animals carries a beautiful line of luxury handbags that any woman would be proud to own. In addition to its partnership with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya, cruelty-free products, ethically run factories, and eco-friendly materials are what this business stands by. The handbags are “named after the orphaned elephants who were brought to the Shedrick Foundation after losing their mothers to poaching,” and as the company grows, Freedom of Animals aims to donate a percent of each sale.

5. FASHIONABLE

“Beautiful products by women who have overcome” is the motto of FASHIONABLE, and what a great concept it is. This company believes in the power of charity and in the relief it gives individuals who are often in unbearable circumstances. And although it is not a “charitable model of business,” what FASHIONABLE does believe is this: “What we seek to ‘give’ to those living in poverty is opportunity by purchasing goods from them, and helping those businesses grow and employ more.” By doing trade with companies in Africa the role is to hold those businesses accountable for their employment practices, ensuring they’re fair and positively reinforced.

6. Pura Vida Bracelets

When two Southern California friends, Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman, embarked on a college graduation trip to Costa Rica, they stumbled upon two bracelet peddlers who fashioned accessories that “seemed to capture the essence of their journey.” Before leaving they asked the men to make 400 bracelets that the two then placed in a boutique shop in San Diego. After selling out within days, the partners had an epiphany about how they could help the bracelet makers, who at the time were living in a cramped, single room with three beds for their entire family. Today, the Pura Vida is thriving, and “every bracelet purchased helps provide full-time jobs for local artisans in Costa Rica.”

7. The Elephant Pants

With a soft spot for Elephants, this boutique online retailer that caters to women and kids was founded in 2014. With awareness of illegal ivory poaching and a 50 percent decline in population over the last 35 years, The Elephant Pants made it the company’s mission to help save elephants and “feel damn good while doing it.” A portion of every sale is donated to the African Wildlife Foundation, which educates about the effects of the ivory trade, supplies park rangers with adequate training for tracking animals and apprehending poachers, and pays African land owners to keep their land open rather than sell to developers. To date, more than $100,000 has been donated to the AWF and other charitable organizations.

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