D.I.Y. With Converse And (PRODUCT) RED

Converse’s newest 1HUND(RED)s for Spring brings a new meaning to DIY fashion featuring the creative talents from 100 internationally celebrated musicians, artists, designers and even you! Anyone can build their own pair of shoes and make a difference with the customizable “MAKE MINE (RED)” option. This is another way to use cross promotion with a CSR approach. It’s also a wonderful way to engage your target audience while joining in on a good cause like (PRODUCT) RED.

The Converse 1HUND(RED) initiative is a year-long global project celebrating their partnership with (RED) and commemorating the brand’s 100th anniversary to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Also, the Chuck Taylor® ALL STAR® x Africa line uses canvas sourced in Africa and features African mudcloth designs, bringing global inspiration to the classic Converse style.

Lupe Fiasco, Grammy winning hip-hop artist, created his custom pair of Chucks, shown above,  inspired by newsprint. The shoes feature the familiar phrase, appearing in French around the shoe’s midsole, “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!”

Andrew Mania, known for his conceptual work that riffs off famous art pieces featured in big name galleries in London and Chelsea, has designed his own shoe inspired by the famous artwork “This is not a pipe” by Rene Magritte. Andrew explains, “Clothes or sneakers are just another set of materials to play with. And the shoe can be a work of art, or something other than what it obviously is.”

View the entire Spring collection at (Converse)RED.

ELLE Magazine Turns (RED)

30 editions, internationally, of ELLE Magazine will turn (RED) for their February issue.  The magazine has teamed up with Gisele Bundchen and Scarlett Johansson in the fight against AIDS in Africa. Gisele Bundchen is found on  each February cover wearing a variety of (RED) clothing. This strategic effort of cross-promotion is important to recognize because brands can use it as a way to gain recognition momentum and reach out to more audiences.

Scarlett Johansson shares her thoughts in the February issue, “When you purchase (PRODUCT) RED items – from partners including Apple, Armani, Converse and the Gap – up to 50 percent of profits go directly to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. Forty cents a day translates to the two antiretroviral pills needed to survive. If that can be achieved by buying a couple of pairs of Converse, it’s worth a shot.”

(PRODUCT) RED consumers have already helped purchase lifesaving antiretroviral treatment for nearly 80,000 people, and the effort continues. Now, you can keep up with the efforts in any of the February issues of ELLE Magazine.

Check out an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Gisele’s (RED) ELLE photo shoot.

Public Relations Agencies Help (PRODUCT) RED

Photo: The Seattle Times

This past week was an important week for (PRODUCT) RED. It wasn’t difficult in the slightest to find your favorite brands turning red. Even the Space Needle turned red!

As an intern I have had the chance to experience working on Starbucks. It was great to experience the buzz generated by Starbucks and Frause, a full spectrum communications firm, about the (Starbucks) RED campaign around Seattle. Monday, December 1, was World AIDS Day and the Seattle-based company partnered with the Space Needle to show their support by up-lighting the iconic structure a bright red. Starbucks also decided to give 5 cents of every drink to the Global Fund. Also, from November 27 through January 2 the coffee company will donate 5 cents of a (Starbucks) RED™ Exclusive beverage to the Global Fund.

Waggener Edstrom has also helped (PRODUCT) RED in light of World AIDS Day. They produced a video with YouTube ceWEBrity, William Sledd (aka “Ask a Gay Man”) where he ambushes a girl at a mall to give her a (PRODUCT) RED makeover. The public relations agency also secured a contest on Polyvore.com and created a button for fashion bloggers, designed by Jordana Bruner, to show their support for (PRODUCT) RED’s effort in Africa.

It’s so great to see public relations agencies working together for a good cause and a great company that strives for helping people in Africa. How have you helped the effort in Africa? Do you buy RED products?

Add the (PRODUCT) RED button to your fashion blog! Embed Code: <a href=”http://www.joinred.com&#8221; target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l200/grantcwilliams/proudtowear.jpg&#8221; border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>

Disclaimer: I am currently working on the Starbucks team as an intern at Frause.