Hi everyone! Bonjour !

You're invited to come meet City Fox this week!

Passez le mot -- venez rencontrer notre City Fox !

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/258842697506560/

Hi everyone!

Just a little reminder about how Kickstarter works: if we don't reach our goal of $5,000 in pre-orders and pledges by 11:59PM on December 17, then no one's card gets charged and we don't get any money at all. Basically, not hitting our goal automatically cancels our project (and your pledges/pre-orders). We don't want that to happen!

So if you really want those items you pledged for and/or pre-ordered, we need your help: please, start posting about our project to your social networks and talk about why you are proud to be a backer. Be sure to include this link to our project: http://kck.st/sGpY0R

We've got only 8 days left to raise $4300! Thanks a ton for your support -- together we can make this happen!

~Aleece

Hello there! Bonjour à tous !

I wanted to share with you an adaptation of an essay that I wrote last month on a sustainability blog. It really speaks to why we're doing this project. Read on below!

Je voulais partager avec vous un billet que j'ai écrit pour un blog concernant le dévéloppement durable. Il est en anglais seulement, mais ce text vous donnera des raisons pourquoi on poursuit ce projet. Lisez ci-dessous !

~Aleece

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I don’t want a Birkin bag. I want to change the way we consume!

Am I CRAZY?!? In response to “Are Social Entrepreneurs Crazy?” by the Washington Post

Three years ago, I left behind a well paid, 10-year consulting job with a Fortune 500 client to launch two nonprofit social enterprises that address clothing overconsumption and garment industry waste in North America: The SWAP Team and Style & Conscience.

Given the amount of hours I’ve worked on these projects for zero pay, I can understand why some people would think I’m nuts. But before you call me crazy, think about it this way: rather than give $10,000 of my hard-earned money away to a charity that may or may not be efficient — or spend it on some ephemeral “luxury” like a Hermès Birkin bag, I decided to start my own projects. Having once aspired to become a fashion designer, I’ve always been passionate about fashion industry issues — I participated in my first protest against sweatshop labour over fifteen years ago. It has confounded me that after all this time, very little has changed. The fashion industry is ripe for disruption.

Photo:  Exploiting the poor, whether as labourers or models, doesn’t make anyone look good. (Vogue India, August 2008)

Could it be that a growing number of us are simply wanting to change the world more than anything money can buy — and willing to take great risks to make it happen? Look no further than Annie Leonard, whose Story of Stuff inspired many to take action, and John Wood, who quit his job at Microsoft during its 90s heyday and spent vast amounts of his own funds to launch Room to Read, now a 10-year-old successful social enterprise.

Photo: Style & Conscience introduced the world’s first 100% upcycled leather luxury handbag in June 2010. Proudly made in Quebec! (LouLou, June 2010) 

The payoff for all this hard work, you might ask?

Style & Conscience celebrated its first birthday last year by showing at Montreal Fashion Week and has worked with designers Denis Gagnon and Marie Saint Pierre. Here on Kickstarter, we are hoping to produce our second 100% upcycled luxury product: City Fox.

You know, in my experience, a paycheck doesn’t always equal satisfaction. Being a social entrepreneur has been by far the most satisfying and rewarding experience of my life, and I’ve met many wonderful people along the way. I’d like to personally thank everyone who has supported us as we continue to grow.     

Hi everyone!

First of all, I want to personally thank everyone who has backed the project so far -- we're 26% of the way there, thanks to you!

SAVE THE DATE: we are going to have a pledge party in Montreal on Tuesday evening, December 13 at Quartier Mode boutique on St-Laurent. You're invited! We'll have bubbly and cupcakes, play our video and of course, you'll get to meet City Fox and Desert Fox! We'll post a separate update soon with all the party deets so that you can come and invite your friends.

We've got 11 more days to bring in the remaining pledges and pre-orders towards our goal of $5,000. We need your help! Could you please post the link to our project (http://kck.st/sGpY0R) to your Facebook wall, tweet it or blog about it?

We even have a press info page here with photos and more if you would like to write an article or blog post: http://www.styleandconscience.com/pages/media

Thanks again for your support! Together, we can make this happen!

~Aleece

Great news everyone -- we are getting picked up by the press!

Read all about it in the Journal Métro, page 38, or in 24H, page 36. Share the news!

Des bonnes nouvelles ! Lisez-les dans le Journal Métro (page 38) ou bien dans 24H (page 36). Partagez SVP !

~Aleece