One of my middle school students once told me that you can tell alot about a man from the background on his iPhone--where he's been, his passions, his dreams, and his loved ones. And while I certainly try not to make a habit out of taking life counseling from individuals that find themselves still undecided on the issue of deodorant as a daily necessity, I couldn't help but applaud the young gentleman for his uncanny bit of wisdom. And the truth is, it was the very picture above that prompted his moment of inspiration--a wallpaper I've had for a while now as a small shot of encouragement for those hellishly stressful days public education can all-too-often hurl at you.
The point of this
Pre-Teen Thought of the Day? Here it is: The modern gentleman lives in a world constantly shrinking in size. A world that through advances in technology and transportation has become impossible to ignore. And with it, comes the undeniable reality that many of our brothers and sisters around our world are without the basic essentials for life--food, clean water, shelter, and medical care. So if the essence of a gentleman's passions can be measured in an iPhone background, what could be said through his actions, social outlets, or style? Some of you may have gone overseas like myself and provided humanitarian aid, some of you may feel that's not your saucer of darjeeling. Whatever the case, for this post I'd like to present three of my favorite humanitarian apparel companies for spreading the word that you actually give a.....(
ya know) about the world around you.
1. Feed Just One
By far this company is one of my absolute favorites when it comes to manly tees with a purpose. I sported mine in a
previous post but failed to actually introduce it properly. The short of it is FeedJustOne is an incredible organization that is combating hunger around the globe. For every shirt sold, FJO provides 30 meals to a family in need in the Majority World. And if that's not enough to convince you, the fact that this is without contest the softest shirt I've ever owned in my life should definitely get you on over to their website for a look around.
Feed Just One.com, $20 per shirt
2. MiiR Water Bottles
Ok, so if you live in Texas, Mother Nature has already decided to skip the season known to Canadians and Yankees as "Spring" and head barreling at full impulse power into the flame tips of the summer inferno. And for the rest of you, it's certainly on the way. So for those of you brave enough to venture through Hades on your way to the gym, you might consider grabbing yourself a slick new water bottle--one that decidedly makes a statement of "
Yes, I DO have the coolest water bottle you've ever seen" and "
Oh, and did I mention it provides clean water to people in poverty?" MiiR Bottles recently launched their
one4one campaign, which promises that for every water bottle sold a person in need is provided with clean water for a
full year! Check out their inspiring video story below:
3. Figs Ties
Now this one made my knees weak in that
head cheerleader asks you to the prom before you do kind of way when I stumbled upon it a few days ago. Ok so as some of you know, many countries in the Majority World do not have
public education, which means private institutions are the only means of
education. As they often require uniforms in order to attend, children
in extreme poverty often cannot afford the clothes necessary to get
their education. Enter
Figs Ties--a company whose sophisticated and beautifully crafted products are only outdone by their ingenious global initiative. Figs'
Threads for Threads campaign partners worldwide with local tailors and and weavers to provide school uniforms for Third World kids who need an education (
aka ALL OF THEM). With each tie sold, Figs donates part of the proceeds to helping the future generation of the planet get the learning they need. And you had best believe I'm saving my lunch money to snag me one of these beauties post haste.
WearFigs.com, from $55.
And with that, my dear gentlemen, I release you upon the world with your new-found globally conscious, sophisticated swagger. Go forth, and BE the change.
Blessings,
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