Fashion for a cause is one way to describe the just-launched kids’ clothing brand art & eden. New to shelves as of last month, art & eden is a line of sustainable clothing for ages 3 months to 10 years, and it seeks to make the world a better place, one conscious choice at a time.
First and foremost, art & eden is a fashion line for boys and girls crafted ethically with organic materials and fair trade practices. The brand is playful and whimsical (think bright colors alongside graphics of cockatiels and clown fish), and it celebrates the traditions and artistry behind clothing design and production. What’s more, art & eden also has a charitable tie-in with initiatives called Clothes for Cure, Empower, and the Camden Street School mentoring project.
Founded by Susan Correa–a local mom, co-founder of contemporary women’s brand Cooper & Ella, and an apparel industry leader with over two decades of experience–art & eden was dreamed up with the intent to enrich lives by being responsible to communities at large. Prior to starting the company, Correa was an executive of two multi-million dollar businesses, which she had oversaw for years. After seeing that there was a need for change in the way the fashion apparel market was run, Correa stepped down from both businesses, and decided to make a difference.
“Everything about the brand is about conscious choices, our fabrics are all sustainable,” Correa says. art & eden is here to make the world of fashion a better place, with its use of organic fabrics, low-impact dyes, recyclable packaging, and of course–affordable fashion, without forsaking quality.
Correa realized that she didn’t need to do big things to be great, but that little things done with love, also held the power to change lives. That attitude has helped her to make the business of fashion better, with the addition of charitable tie-ins. A portion of art & eden’s sales go towards helping others in need around the globe. Empower, started in 2014, has served over 180, 000 nutritious meals to children in Bangalore, India, and continues to serve children in need. Clothes for Cure is a global impact program, in partnership with Hope worldwide, that provides multivitamins and anti-parasite medication, for children in Central America. In their first year of launching, they are expected to provide one million multi-vitamins, and 7,000 doses of albendazole (anti-parasite medication). And the Camden Street School mentoring project started in October, 2016, is set in Newark, NJ, where 95 percent of the children live below the poverty line, and majority have lost someone to gun violence. The goal is to provide the children at Camden Street school with hands-on learning experiences, mentors, and provide support however they can.
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“This business, is much bigger than myself. I really think it chose me to execute it; it wasn’t my first choice,” Correa adds. “Every decision is now a conscious decision. Is there a different way that I can do things? How am I leaving the Earth? What is the impact of this choice?”
For more information, see artandeden.com!
