Better late than never, right? I’ve been wanting to share these brands, all discoveries from my trip to Israel, with you for awhile now. This blog is about people who saw a need and created a solution to benefit the worker, the business, and the consumer. There are people who talk, and people who do. Orna and Isaac Levy of Megemeria, Taryn Cantor of Sew Sara and Mindy Scheier of Runway of Dreams have done a lot. I encourage you to watch these videos and share them with others. If you are interested in purchasing items from Megemeria or Sew Sara, please contact me directly and I’ll be happy to help.
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Megemeria
Megemeria began as a way for Isaac Levy, once an immigrant in Israel from Argentina, to give back after creating an incredibly successful luxury jewelry company, Yvel, with his wife Orna. The pieces are more casual and inexpensive than the Yvel lines, but no less special. A lot of us on the JWRP fashion trip to Israel purchased the jewelry as gifts for ourselves and loved ones. Although the line is not yet available to purchase online, I will let you know as soon as it is.
In 2010, the Levys furthered their commitment to the immigrant population, in particular to Israel’s especially vulnerable Ethiopian community. They established the philanthropic Megemeria School of Jewelry & Art to provide professional training and employment opportunities to Ethiopian immigrants to facilitate their integration into Israeli society as proud and contributing citizens. Meaning “genesis” in Amharic (the native language of Ethiopia), Megemeria offers its students the opportunity for a bright new beginning in life.- Yvel Website
Watch the video to learn more!
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Sew Sara
South Africa has a program that teaches disadvantaged women to sew. The problem, noticed Personal Stylist and Fashion Designer Taryn Cantor, was that they didn’t have jobs to support their new skills. She created Sew Sara, a line of beautiful silk dresses and accessories, to solve the problem. Lucky me, she custom made me one of her fabulous dresses in my favorite burgundy color. When I tell you that the other participants on the JWRP trip bought the clothes off her back and out of her suitcase, I am not exaggerating! Some of our clients may also recognize the fringe necklace below. I ordered it in bulk so Kyle and I and our clients could all have one.
Scroll down after you watch the video to see me in my Sew Sara dress!
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Runway of Dreams
Mindy Scheier, one of my fellow participants on the JWRP trip, is way too humble and she’s going to kill me for saying so. Her son Oliver was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy. He wanted to wear jeans to school like his friends. The problem? His leg braces and the fine motor skills required to snap and zip jeans made this all but impossible. Mindy, a fashion designer, took this personal heartache and turned it into triumph by creating Runway of Dreams, now the authority on adaptable mainstream clothing.. Did she stop there? NO. Click here to visit Tommy Hilfiger’s website, where you can now purchase an entire line of adaptable clothing for children. Go Mindy!
Watch the video to be truly inspired.
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Lani Inlander is a personal stylist, working with clients who want to feel their best and look put-together every day. You can find her in the Washington, D.C. and New York metropolitan areas.
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