Local Celebrity Goes Green for a Cause
Local Celebrity is using its brand of humor to drive a message home. “Respect Your Mother” is the company’s newest T-shirt saying designed to benefit Mother Nature. The witty phrase, printed on an organic cotton tee using ecofriendly waterbased inks, is intended to spark conversation and raise awareness of global warming. Don Calder, president of Local Celebrity, said, “We are bringing humor to a serious issue, and we think that will drive the message further.”
The eco-friendly T-shirt launched at the Global Green Pre-Oscar Party in February. Shirts were given out to celebrities including Leonardo Di Caprio, Drew Barrymore, Jack Black and America Ferrera to help generate awareness for the cause. Calder hopes people will see the celebrities wearing the tee and that it will help instigate change. Proceeds from the T-shirt will be donated to Global Green USA to help fight global warming.
Calder said he wanted to be involved with Global Green because of its expertise on the subject and knowledge of where to spend the money raised. “Obviously we’re not experts on global-warming issues. We wanted to be involved with a third party that can bring in their expertise,” explained Calder. “We have the voice of the consumer, and they have the voice in their world, so it’s a perfect collaboration,” he added.
Local Celebrity, which is carried by some of the top stores and boutiques in the country, has the weight to carry the message. Its store lineup includes Fred Segal Santa Monica, Urban Outfitters, Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.
The “Respect Your Mother” T-shirt was first carried exclusively at Kitson but just launched at wholesale and is available during this Los Angeles Market Week.
“So far so good. We’ve gotten a really good response.” said Calder. The shirt is available in men’s and women’s sizes in blue and green colorways. It retails for $28. More colors will be added by the end of the year. The rest of the line, which includes T-shirts, hoodies and footwear, retails from $21 to $44.
Other products are currently not offered in organic cotton, but Calder said it’s not out of the question. It’s a more expensive option and not an easy one to deliver but one he thinks is well worth the effort. He said it took about a year to develop the “Respect Your Mother” tee and secure enough organic cotton to make it. “If there’s no noise about environmental issues, there’s no demand. The more noise consumers can make, the more product that can be supplied to them,” said Calder.
This is Local Celebrity’s first foray into the charity arena and may be just the beginning. Calder hopes to develop more products with the Local Celebrity brand of humor to benefit other worthy causes.
The shirt is available at the Select Showroom in The New Mart, suite 502. For information, call (213) 622-7620 or visit www.localcelebrity.com. —N. Jayne Seward
