Nolcha Showcases International Influence and Fashion Philanthropists at New York Fashion Week

NEW YORK, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Nolcha will kick-off Fashion Week this year with a special mission-driven cause, by featuring Haiti-native Catherine Charlot of Himane.  Charlot will showcase her collection, made from recycled goods such as broken umbrellas, and donate all of the proceeds to aid family and friends in Haiti.  This year's event also marks the debut of 'Nolcha Cares' -- a 13-piece women's wear collection in collaboration with Care for Kenya.  Five independent designers (Carlotta Gherzi for Sado, Jess Rizzuti, Anavaa Kisasa, Siboney Swimwear and Anastastia Chatzka), selected by Nolcha, worked with Kenyan-inspired themes to create sketches for the one-of-a-kind collection made completely from Kenyan textiles compiled by Care for Kenya.

"These types of collaborations offers the fashion industry the opportunity to harness the power of both business and consumer outreach to support those with greatest need in places like Haiti and Kenya," said Kerry Bannigan, Nolcha CEO.

This is just one of many hands-on projects Care for Kenya has started since it was founded this past year with the mission of empowering women to become leaders in their communities. Care for Kenya is a non-profit organization that works to educate local communities by providing promotional support, legal advice, accounting, research, web design and general consulting services to underserved communities.

Nolcha's commitment to merging fashion with philanthropy continues with the announcement of the Donate a Design to Heal Africa (www.donate-design.org) to help develop fair trade cooperatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo in conjunction with Bel Esprit Showroom. The launch of the Donate Design project on February 11 will open a global t-shirt contest, "for those who dream of a beautiful world."  The winning designs will be announced at a gala fundraiser later this year and will be produced for sale to benefit HEAL Africa's training program.

Following Fashion Week, the 'Nolcha Cares' collection can be purchased at CareforKenya.org with bios of the local Kenyans behind the inspiration.  Proceeds will fund various entrepreneurial programs in Kenya.  For more information visit www.careforkenya.org.

Generous sponsor support provided by Escada Marine Groove Fragrance, Bo Concept, Don Q Rums and Marcel Hotel.

SOURCE Nolcha: Fashion Business Services