Can fashion change the world? We’ve partnered with the all-new 2016 Chevy Malibu to find out how FEED, Lauren Bush Lauren's ambitious fashion venture, is reshaping the industry.
With the conversation moving toward responsible fashion in recent years, we wanted to spotlight someone who's been doing it from the start: Lauren Bush Lauren. You might know her as the niece of former President George W. Bush, but it's her philanthropic venture, FEED, that's helped her make a name for herself in the fashion world. Keep reading to get to know and learn how her company has helped shape the industry.
Lauren's formative years were as glamorous as you'd expect from a member of Texas's political dynasty. A fixture at fashion shows and on magazine covers, she soon became a hit with the industry. But it's her company that provides real sustenance. Equal parts fashion and philanthropy, FEED's collection of bags, t-shirts, and accessories was created to engage consumers in the fight against world hunger. In the nine years since the company's inception, it has been responsible for providing 94 million meals to children around the world.
She rooted her company in personal experience
The 31-year-old entrepreneur — educated at Princeton, with a degree in anthropology — first showed an interest in world affairs when she was appointed honorary spokesperson for the United Nations World Food Program in 2004 and traveled to rural Guatemala to help distribute food and water. Her encounter with childhood malnutrition on that trip proved to have a lasting impact, as three years later, FEED's pioneering canvas carryall was launched in partnership with the United Nations World Food Program.
FEED's signature burlap bags — inspired by the bags of food rations that she witnessed on her trip to Guatemala — are stamped with a number that represents the meals provided with its purchase.
She sources environmentally friendly materials, promotes fair-labor conditions, and collaborates with local craftspeople who weave their region's cultural heritage into the products they create.
She made philanthropy accessible
Her social venture has slowly carved out a unique space in the fashion sphere. In 2013, FEED hit headlines when they announced a collaboration with Target. Aiming to benefit Feeding America, a United States-based hunger organization with food banks across the country, the collection brought a casual flair to fashion staples with its brightly colored aprons, shirts, totes, tees, and stationery.
But these lighthearted items came with a serious mission: to provide 10 million meals to Americans in need through product sales. Leading up to the launch, Lauren volunteered in soup kitchens and community food banks across the country to better understand the effects of hunger. For her, the collaboration wasn't just a fundraiser — it was also a bid to empower fellow Americans to tackle the issue of domestic hunger.
She has the support of fashion heavyweights
Lauren's fellow A-listers have shown their support along the way. In 2014, FEED-loving celebrities like Karlie Kloss and Anne Hathaway starred in an advertising campaign that ran during the holiday season. Other high-profile influencers, from John Legend and Chrissy Teigen to Garance Doré, have jumped on board, offering their support by attending events and carrying the bags. And, in 2015, Jessica Alba's company, The Honest Company, teamed up with FEED to produce a functional diaper bag with a funky print. Fashion's favorite clotheshorses, it seems, are also eager to promote a more altruistic industry.
As she's transitioned from fronting magazines to building an empire of her own, she's done something rare: she's encouraged the fashion space — and its consumers — to change alongside her.
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