Lady Gaga’s bracelets raise $250,000 for Japan, Uniqlo and Theory accept clothing donations
While Japan struggles to get their feet on the ground after last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami, the fashion industry is coming up with some smart ways to help those in need.
Fashion-forward pop star Lady Gaga has designed "We Pray For Japan" bracelets available on her official website. They have the phrase written in both English and Japanese along with the claw gesture adopted by her fans, the "Little Monsters." The bracelets sell for $5 each, and you can make additional donations from $5 to $100, with all proceeds going directly to Japan relief efforts. So far she has raised a whopping $250,000. You can buy your own by clicking here.
Parent company Fast Retailing is donating 1.4 billion yen (around $17.3 million) to relief organizations like the Japanese Red Cross-300 million is coming from the company, 10 million from employees, and 1 billion from CEO Tadashi Yanai. They're also sending 700 million yen ($8.65 million) worth of clothing to victims, including jackets, jeans, towels, and 300,000 pieces of Uniqlo's extra warm patented Heattech items.
Shoppers can help too. Fast Retailing's stores, Uniqlo, Theory, and Comptoir des Cotonniers will soon have donation boxes on site at their retail locations to collect clothing worldwide for those who are suffering in Japan. We're hoping more retailers will come up with creative ways to give back, but in the meantime the best way to help out is to donate directly to the Red Cross by clicking here.
Related links:
The 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami: Were you affected? Please check in! Also: how you can help
Follow up: Massive earthquake hits Japan, triggering tsunami (video)
7 Ways Your Family Can Help Hawaii Tsunami and Japan Earthquake Victims
