"Beautiful Things Come In Small Packages"

    Jamie Lim an inspiring designer, born in Texas and raised in Hong Kong. With her artist eye and a blend of both surroundings she birthed KAYU. The word KAYU means "wood". All of her products are handmade and used with natural materials. Jamie had a love for bamboo since a young age, so in 2008 she incorporated bamboo as the star of her first eyewear collection. Then in 2010 the the collection expanded, with a line of bags. I think what made this collection unique, is the classic shape with the edgy detailed print. All of the totes and clutches are made from shell and straw.  

  Mel Tote $112.00

   Mel Tote $112.00

 Lilian Envelope $94.50 

 Denise Mother of Pearl $350.00

Rawa bamboo sunglasses $126.00

   When you purchase a pair of shades and or bag, 2% of the purchase is going towards non-profit organizations. The 2% goes to Awareness Cambodia and Unite for Sight; one-sight restoring surgery for every eyewear sold and a backpack with school supplies for each bag sold. 

  "Everything I do is inspired by the people I meet and the places I visit. KAYU was created as an expression of joy and gratefulness - for family, for love, for life, and I'm so happy to share this journey with you."  -Jamie Li

Please visit www.kayudesign.com for more info. on Cambodia, store location & purchase online.

Shirts on a Mission!

I've always been very interested in brands that have a unique style and classic taste. As I was doing a little research I stumbled across a brand called Out of Print. Immediately after reading their mission statement, I was intrigued by their awesome concept. Out of Print is an apparel retail brand that sale t-shirts with a story. They have classic book covers or quotes from different books. The purpose of Out of Print is to celebrate the world greatest books through fashion. They are aware of certain parts of the world not being able to have books, so their plan is to help change that problem. For every t-shirt sold there is a book donated to a community that lacks access. Out of Print is in parnter with Books for Africa to help give books back. 

The t-shirts come in men, women and kids. Price at $22-$28, they have this cool vintage look to it. I think they are perfect for a special gift because you are giving to more than one person. I think it would be awesome if Out of Print would take a request for books they might not have or allow you to customize your shirt. Hmm...maybe that can be in their future. So what's your story?

Interested for more go to: www.outofprint.com

Toms "One for One" has a NEW chapter!

 Toms brand is well known world wide for their "One for One". For every customer that makes a purchase their is a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. They truly are one of my favorite brands for their genuine heart to give. The story is, in 2006, Blake Mycoskie traveled to Argentina and notice that the children their didn't have shoes to protect their feet. This affected children learning because if a student didn't have shoes for school they couldn't go to school. Also there is a leading cause of disease in current countries called soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. He than really wanted to do something about it, that's when he created TOMS, a company that would give a shoe to a child in need every time a purchase was made. 

That's not all! Tom has now opened a new chapter of One for One with eye wear! Can it get any better?! So now when you buy shades you can be "cool" for a purpose. You have help someone get medical for their eyes, get their sight back and or get glasses. This is really brilliant and definitely inspiring to me. Its something about Brands/Companies/People that are really here to make a difference or I should say change the world. I support TOMS movement and I can't wait to get me a pair of shades! They are priced at $135 and come with three strips on the side. The first one for you, one for the person you help give sight back to and the third is the connect color in the middle. One for One.