Clothing Line Empowers Liberian Girls with Every Cut of Its Fashion
August 11, 2015
Le Dessein's fashion-forward approach helps young girls from Liberia by funding their education and highlighting their design work
Le Dessein, a fashion company based in California, now donates 25 percent of all profits from its line of dresses, tops and jewelry to girls’ school tuition in Liberia. Like many west African countries, Liberia’s education infrastructure is sorely underfunded, and does little to educate girls with what resources it does have. Le Dessein’s decision is aimed to both provide monetary assistance and raise awareness of the problem.
Founder Eric Coly’s mother saw the situation firsthand while growing up in the region, where women had neither the right to nor the expectation of receiving any kind of education. When her family moved to France, she discovered that this was not only unnecessary, but unusual and restrictive by world standards. Coly brings this perspective to his business, and so, works with More Than Me Academy, a transformative institution helping girls in the West Point Slum of Liberia, in supporting the girls who attend.
Several small designs are made from the girls at the academy.
Le Dessein partners with Liberia’s More Than Me Academy both by providing funds and by using small designs made by their participants at the academy. These designs are placed strategically on the clothing to stand out against the solid colors, and appear on clothing items just like they do when designed by professionals.
On the site, Le Dessein breaks down a user’s purchase total and how much of the amount will go to the More Than Me Academy. The smallest donation is $15, and equates to a meal a day for one month for two girls. The maximum donation per purchase is $1,350, the cost of one years’ tuition for one student.
Le Dessein wishes to expand to other academies in other developing countries upon further success. They sell to all parts of the world at a fixed shipping cost of $5.
Source: By Jason Brick
