L.e.i. Announces Winners of the 'L.e.i. Model Citizen Contest' Held in Association with Teen Vogue and in Support of Fashion Delivers

NEW YORK, April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- L.e.i. is excited to introduce the three winners of the L.e.i. Model Citizen Contest who impressed the judges and public with their leadership, ambition, intelligence, energy and altruism. These three young woman best exemplify the tenets of L.e.i., which stands for "life, energy and intelligence." The winners were handpicked by a high-profile panel of judges, including notable names from the fashion industry such as Teen Vogue Editor in Chief Amy Astley, fashion designer Rachel Roy, fashion models Chanel Iman and Ali Michael, Allan Ellinger, Chairman of Fashion Delivers, and the voting public. L.e.i. is available exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide and on Walmart.com.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100419/NY88352)

After receiving over 7,000 entries and 42,000 votes for the Model Citizen Contest, Alexandra Brooks, 18, from Sachse, TX has been named as the grand-prize winner.  Jazzlyn Marae, 15, of Costa Mesa, CA is the second place winner and Amy Wilson, 19, from Ashland, OR is the third runner-up. 

"I am honored to be chosen as the winner of this amazing 'L.e.i. Model Citizen' contest, which is acknowledging and rewarding young women not only for their inner and outer beauty, but also because of their life, energy and intelligence," said Alexandra Brooks.  

Alexandra Brooks has logged more than 225 hours of community service projects, including organizing a community garden, volunteering in a homeless shelter and participating in Operation Christmas Child.   She has also donated her time to build houses in Nicaragua, all while holding a 3.7 GPA and qualifying for the National Honor Society.

As the grand-prize winner, Alexandra Brooks will receive a $100,000 college scholarship, an appearance in L.e.i.'s Fall 2010 national advertising campaign, a fashion makeover and complete L.e.i. wardrobe, Teen Vogue internship and a trip to L.A. to attend Teen Vogue's "Young Hollywood" party.  

Jazzlyn Marae volunteers in a soup kitchen for the homeless and has organized two benefits for a local children's hospital.  Truly multi-talented, she wrote an original song for her submission video and holds a 3.7 GPA.  Amy Wilson volunteers at homeless shelters and senior citizen organizations, while pursuing her pre-Med degree at Southern Oregon University.  

Jazzlyn Marae and Amy Wilson will also appear in L.e.i.'s Fall 2010 national ad campaign and receive special prizing.  In addition, the three winners will be flown to L.A. for L.e.i.'s photo shoot, which will be shot by famed photographer Peggy Sirota, on April 20th.

From February 1, 2010 to March 23, 2010, young women ages 15-21 from across the country entered the contest by visiting leimodelcitizen.com, or attending one of three L.e.i. Model Citizen local events in New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Participants were required to submit a video that showcased their "life, energy and intelligence."

As one of the judges, Chanel Iman said, "I am proud to be part of this contest where young girls are rewarded for their inner beauty and outer spirit. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of leadership at a young age and encourages our youth to be socially conscious leaders and role models, and therefore the next L.e.i. model citizens."

L.e.i., in partnership with the non-profit organization Fashion Delivers, also challenged the Facebook community, influential blogs and consumers to "Pay it [Fashion Forward]" through the launch of an interactive widget application, which offered contest information and a means to raise awareness for an important cause.

For more information please visit leimodelcitizen.com. L.e.i. is a division of Jones Apparel Group (NYSE: JNY).

About Jones Apparel Group, Inc.

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (www.jonesapparel.com) is a leading designer, marketer and wholesaler of branded apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company also markets directly to consumers through its chain of specialty retail and value-based stores and through its e-commerce web sites. The Company's nationally recognized brands include Jones New York, Nine West, Anne Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, Kasper, Robert Rodriguez, Bandolino, Easy Spirit, Evan-Picone, l.e.i., Energie, Enzo Angiolini, Joan & David, Mootsies Tootsies, Sam & Libby, Napier, Judith Jack, Albert Nipon and Le Suit. The Company also markets costume jewelry under the Givenchy brand licensed from Givenchy Corporation, women's footwear under the Dockers® and Dockers® Women brands and infants', toddlers' and boys' footwear (excluding girls' footwear) under the Dockers® and Dockers® Premium brands, licensed from Levi Strauss & Co., apparel and accessories under the Rachel Roy brand licensed from Rachel Roy IP Company, LLC, and Jessica Simpson jeanswear licensed from VCJS, LLC.  Each brand is differentiated by its own distinctive styling, pricing strategy, distribution channel and target consumer. The Company contracts for the manufacture of its products through a worldwide network of quality manufacturers. The Company has capitalized on its nationally known brand names by entering into various licenses for several of its trademarks, including Jones New York, Anne Klein New York, Nine West, Gloria Vanderbilt, l.e.i. and Evan-Picone, with select manufacturers of women's and men's products which the Company does not manufacture. For more than 30 years, the Company has built a reputation for excellence in product quality and value, and in operational execution.

About Teen Vogue

Launched in February 2003, TEEN VOGUE publishes 10 issues annually and has over 1 million dedicated readers. Style-conscious girls everywhere know there's only one source for relevant fashion and beauty news presented in a sophisticated tone with the power of the VOGUE brand. In a time of expanding media choices, true authority is irreplaceable—and unmistakable.

About Fashion Delivers

On September 15, 2006, with only a three day notice, thirty fashion industry leaders came together to figure out how the industry could provide relief to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While larger national relief organizations existed, there was no structure in place to organize the immediate collection and distribution of excess product to those so desperately in need. Under the leadership of Allan Ellinger, the group canvassed the retail and home industries to gauge participation. The response was overwhelming. Over $4.5 million dollars worth of product was collected and channeled directly to victims suffering from the devastation. What began as a vision has turned into an incredible charitable endeavor to provide hope to those in need.

The mission of Fashion Delivers Charitable Foundation, Inc. is to unify the men's and women's apparel and home industries to donate new product in order to aid victims of disasters and individuals in need throughout the year.  We match need with our availability of product coming from both wholesale and retail fashion industry vendors — some of the biggest names in the fashion and home industries. Through a strategic alliance with K.I.D.S., we have structured a global network of more than one thousand local agencies that we coordinate with in the donation and delivery of excess products. While our organization provides aid to those in need, we also provide economic and philanthropic alternatives for companies disposing of their excess inventory.

SOURCE Jones Apparel Group, Inc.