Alex and Ani Exceeds $50 Million Mark for Donations

Story by Rosemary Feitelberg via wwd.com.

IT ALL ADDS UP: Alex and Ani, the eco-conscious jewelry line, has passed the $50 million mark for donations, largely through its Charity By Design program that supports 50 nonprofit partners.

The company has donated $52.6 million to such groups as UNICEF, Make-a-Wish, Green Beetz, March of Dimes, Best Buddies, Friends of Jaclyn and ASPCA since 2011.

The Charity By Design initiative was started to magnify the brand’s ethos of “sharing positive energy worldwide, igniting passion for the well-being of our planet, our communities and our individual paths.” Positivity is integral to the brand as envisioned by founder Carolyn Rafaelian. More than $41.3 million of the total was generated through product sales of the brand’s Charity By Design collection. Consisting of more than 65 styles, each of those offerings is earmarked for a specific charity. The brand’s Meditating Eye collection of unisex bracelets and necklaces benefits The David Lynch Foundation’s mission “to eradicate toxic stress and trauma through transcendental meditation.”

This spring, the company sponsored the second annual David Lynch Foundation Women of Vision event, which honored Stella McCartney and Fern Mallis. The gathering raised money for a New York City initiative that will teach Transcendental Meditation to 1,000 women survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault. This fall, Alex and Ani will sponsor the David Lynch-curated Festival of Disruption in Los Angeles, where Carrie Brownstein, Grace Jones, Amber Tamblyn and Francis Ford Coppola will be among the speakers.

The Apple Bangle benefiting Blessings in a Backpack.

Through the Charity By Design program, 20 percent of each purchase is automatically donated to the designated charity. More than 11,000 children were fed for a school year from the sales of product benefitting Blessings in a Backpack, and more than 53,000 families were given access to clean drinking water through sales of Alex and Ani products tagged for Living Water International. In addition, more than 1.8 million days of medicine has been provided to HIV and AIDS patients through a partnership with (RED).

To clue consumers in to its philanthropic milestone, Alex and Ani is posting a video highlighting its efforts across all social media channels. Watch it here.

Shop our Alex and Ani bangle, The Apple, by clicking here.