Style with a conscience: a pop-up sale event featuring fair trade organizations, independent designers + sustainable brands + gourmet popsicles!

SATURDAY, JULY 30-31
11AM - 6PM
LOWER EASTSIDE GIRLS CLUB
(56 East 1st Street b/t 1st & 2nd Ave)

10 percent of sales will be donated to artisans abroad through Kiva.

Featuring fashion and accessories from:
Afia
Ahkun
Auralis Studio
Holstee
Indego Africa
Lolafalk
Lynore Store
Made By Survivors
Simply Nu
Study NY
Tompkins Point Apparel
Viva La Vida NY

With support from:
NYC Fair Trade Coalition
Kiva New York Lending Team
Lower Eastside Girls Club

Sustainable style pop-up proves that you can shop fashionably and
responsibly without breaking the bank

New York, NY – July 12, 2011 – Ahkun, a New York City nonprofit, wants
to prove that socially responsible style can be both fashionable and
affordable. On July 30 and 31, Ahkun will host a pop-up sale event
featuring carefully curated clothing and accessories from independent
designers, sustainable brands and fair trade organizations. Ten
percent of sales will be contributed to artisans abroad through the
micro-lending website Kiva.

“Ahkun’s summer pop-up celebrates New York’s vibrant community of
artisans and entrepreneurs who create beautiful items and are
committed to giving back,” says Anh-Thu Nguyen, Ahkun’s Co-Founder and
Executive Director. The pop-up will be held Saturday July 30 and
Sunday July 31 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM at the Lower Eastside Girls
Club space at 56 East 1st Street.

Participants include: Study NY by Tara St. James, winner of the 2011
Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award for Sustainable Design; Indego
Africa, a social enterprise that partners with women artisans in
Rwanda on products for brands like Nicole Miller and Anthropologie;
and Made by Survivors, a nonprofit that provides survivors of sex
trafficking with employment and education.

Other pop-up vendors include Afia, Auralis Studio, Holstee, Lolafalk,
Lynore Routte, Simply Nu, Tompkins Point Apparel and Viva La Vida NY.

Shoppers can expect to find handwoven ikat skirts from Study NY ($150,
marked down from $315); the brand new Delhi Rang upcycled wallet from
Holstee ($25); and lightweight Cambodian krama scarves from Ahkun
($22).

This event is being held in cooperation with the New York City Fair
Trade Coalition, Kiva New York Lending Team and Lower Eastside Girls
Club. Each vendor has pledged 10 percent of sales to Kiva, a
micro-lending website that lets individuals make small loans to
entrepreneurs around the world. According to Nguyen, “Ahkun brings
consumers closer to the origins of the things they buy. Our pop-up
shop will prove that there’s more to New York fashion than just Fifth
Avenue and Fashion Week. When you know that your purchase has a
positive impact on the person who created it, it becomes much more
meaningful.”

***
Ahkun is a nonprofit that connects artisans and entrepreneurs with the
global marketplace. Through our online store Ahkun.org, we promote
ethical consumption and give entrepreneurs from the developing world
access to a larger market and greater share of profits. For more
information, visit us at http://www.ahkun.org.

Contact:
Cecile Dominguez
cecile@ahkun.org
(860) 501-9549