H&M is proud to announce the launch of its fifth Fashion Against AIDS collection aimed to raise funds and create awareness about HIV/AIDS among the youth. Available in around 300 H&M Divided departments from 26th April 2012, as well as online, this year’s collection brings together ethnic influences from different continents.

Special prints were commissioned from international artists and illustrators for this collection to create pieces bursting with colour, pattern and authenticity, and 25% of all sales will go directly to a variety of international youth HIV/AIDS awareness projects. So far, H&M has raised around 45 million SEK from previous FAA projects.

Whether it be colourful African trims on blouses and bustiers, graphic black and white Maori prints on leggings and crop-tops, or the folkloric Inuit designs from Greenland on draped T-shirts, this year’s FAA collection puts global tribes in a 21st century context. As well as macrame, fringed and dip-dyed pieces for girls and printed T-shirts and cropped harem trousers for guys, the collection also includes fashion accessories such as hats, footwearand jewellery, as well as special pieces such as iPhone cases, festival ponchos, hammocks and plasters.

Once again, FAA will be supporting a range of international charities each promoting the safe sex message:

Designers Against AIDS (DAA): An organisation which trains and educates young people in HIV/AIDS awareness, so they can spread the message within their own communities

MTV Staying Alive Foundation: MTV’s global campaign to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. Their Staying Alive Award offers grants to young people focused on preventing the spread of HIV.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): The task of UNFPA is to support each individual’s  right to good health and equal rights.

YouthAIDS: A HIV/AIDS prevention initiative of Population Services International (PSI) which reaches more than 600 million young people in more than 60 countries.

Earlier this week we attended an exclusive invite-only celebration for Carolee 40^th Anniversary. The company celebrated this wonderful milestone at New York’s newest luxury hotel destination, The Setai.

There, Carolee unveiled a 40^th Anniversary Legacy Collection and a collection of Limited Edition Charm Bracelets. Five dollars from each Legacy piece and Limited Edition Charm Bracelet will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Karen O’Brien, Carolee VP Worldwide Marketing, announced an annual Carolee jewelry design scholarship program that will commence this Fall.  Dr. Joyce Brown, President of FIT, acknowledged Carolee’s industry leadership and thanked the company for the scholarship and for sponsoring an ongoing FIT student design competition.  The competition will last through the Spring and will culminate in five winners whose designs will be manufactured by Carolee and distributed to stores this Fall.  Joel Fivis, President of Carolee, emphasized the value of the company’s relationship with both the BCRF and FIT and thanked all of Carolee’s retailers and employees for making the 40 year milestone possible.

Congratulations to Carolee and cheers to many more years!

More images from our amazing photographer John Alston Jr.

On January 23rd, hip-hop legend and weight loss advocate, Fat Joe, performed at an event celebrating the winners from Let’s Move! Newark: Our Power (LM!NOP), a program created by Behavioral Health & Fitness Expert, Jeff Halevy, to fight childhood obesity. After improving his lifestyle, Fat Joe has recently lost over 100 pounds and chose to be a part of Halevy’s Let’s Move! Newark: Our Power to encourage our youth to follow his success.

Jeff Halevy was hand-selected to create Let’s Move! Newark: Our Power by Newark Mayor Cory Booker, as an extension of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign, which Mayor Booker currently serves as the honorary Vice Chair. The program began in October of 2011 with 1,500 high school freshmen in five different Newark, NJ high schools competing against each other for the most minutes moved. Barringer 9 School has achieved the coveted winning title with an impressive 619,600 minutes moved, earning them a performance by superstar recording artist, Fat Joe, as well as a renewed attitude towards physical activity and wellbeing.

The LM!NOP challenge in Newark will kick-off a national series to combat the overwhelming statistics on childhood obesity. Upon joining the program, each participating student received a MYTRAK, a cutting edge, credit card size, wearable health device, which measures both duration and intensity of physical activity. The 12-week program had students “Going for Green” on their MYTRAK device, turning the device’s LED light from red to green, indicating that 60 minutes of physical activity have been achieved. MYTRAK donated 1,500 M2 units to the LM!NOP campaign, which included access to MYTRAK’s online suite of health and wellness software that connects users with a team of lifestyle program advisors and community based support. Newark high school students will be rewarded based on their level of activity and in addition to the winners receiving a concert by a top musician, other prizes will include Nets Basketball tickets and Zumba DVDs to designer apparel from ENYCE and high-end TRX Suspension Training equipment.

Jeff Halevy & Fat Joe Talk Let’s Move Newark: Our Power (LMNOP) on PIX 11

Photos: Ivan Gabel

For any customer who brings in a gently used shirt to donate to “The Purple Heart Service Foundation” will receive 20% off their entire purchase. The Swap event is tomorrow night, December 8, from 6p to 9p. This offer is valid until Sunday, December 11, for 20% off!

Baume & Mercier CEO Alain Zimmerman, actress Emmanuelle Chriqui and Baume & Mercier North American President Rudy Chavez

On December 1 at the Tourneau TimeMachine on East 57th Street, luxury watch company Baume & Mercier hosted a private celebration benefiting the Love146 charity organization. Love146 works to end child sex slavery and exploitation around the globe. Attendees were surrounded by watches from over 100 famous brands including Baume & Mercier, Rolex, Patek Philippe and Cartier. Guests had the opportunity to view a photo essay by Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Carolyn Cole. Baume & Mercier commissioned Ms. Cole to illustrate the mission of Love146 in Southeast Asia. One very affecting set of photos depicted a mother being reunited with her young daughter after she was sold into slavery to pay a relatives gambling debts. A check for $25,000 was presented to Love146 by Baume & Mercier CEO Alain Zimmerman and Tourneau CEO Jim Seuss. Baume & Mercier watches with commemorative Love146 engravings were also auctioned off to benefit the charity. In attendance was the beautiful star of Entourage, Emmanuelle Chriqui wearing a dress by Valentino and a Baume & Mercier timepiece she was seen enjoying the musical performances of Love146 co-founder Lamont Heibert, Abigail Zsiga and the captivating Broadway Dolls. -Sia-Alika Anderson

The Broadway Dolls

Classic Baume & Mercier Watch

Images via Getty

BTF Concerts is a concert production company that was founded in 2011 by Alaina Bendi and Christopher Trombley, both established Producers. BTF Concerts stemmed from Alaina and Christopher’s love for music and their passion for connecting music with people. Last week they held the first ever Rock The Schools benefit concert featuring with Bryan Greenberg (HBO’s How to Make It In America), Tyler Hilton (One Tree Hill), Ryan Cabrera, and Dion Roy at the Gramercy Theater. The festivities were hosted by the intern queen Lauren Berger and radio personality Trey Morgan.

Proceeds from the evening were raised for music programs in NY State public schools, who are currently suffering from major budget cuts and are at risk of losing their music programs all together.

For more information  please visit www.btfconcerts.com

Check out this performance from Dion Roy…

Images by: Janette Scardillo