Fashion fights Poverty

Mission

FFPs mission is to raise awareness for initiatives that encourage and support creative, effective, and sustainable means of challenging poverty. We believe that the industries of fashion, textiles, and design offer unique and effective opportunities for designers, craftsmen and consumers alike to contribute to the alleviation of poverty through trade, skill-building and community empowerment

What Is FFP?

Created by Style & Image Network in 2005, Fashion Fights Poverty (FFP) is, according to the Washington Post and Biz Bash magazines, "one of the largest fashion fundraisers in Washington, DC" and is a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. Featuring national and international designers who employ ethical means and practices in their design and manufacturing processes to produce products that promote economic development and the betterment of a given community, FFP provides a forum for dialogue and awareness-building about how fashion, textiles, and design can alleviate poverty and empower communities.

Fashion Fights Poverty is about two things: one, it rewards and recognizes designers and organizations who embrace the powerful potential of creativity and design to address issues of poverty by adhering to such principles as fair trade, equitable compensation and the use of environmentally-sustainable materials.

Two, Fashion Fights Poverty is about responsible consumerism and providing equally attractive marketing and branding platforms (such as the "Dress Responsibly" lookbook) between ethical designers and the growing population of socially-conscious shoppers. By focusing on both producer and consumer, FFP hopes to extend the dialogue and participation in poverty eradication beyond think tanks and policy makers to include manufacturers and consumers alike.

FFP is about action and promoting positive behavior. We are not telling people to stop shopping. Rather, we are showing opportunities to do so responsibly and, in the process, engage organizations and enterprises which use fashion, design and creativity as a means of addressing the most important issues of our time.