Designers Revamp Kiwi Classic for Charity

Seven of New Zealand’s top fashion designers will showcase their creative talents this week when they launch their version of the classic Kiwi jandal for KidsCan Charitable Trust.

Zambesi, Carlson, Sera Lilly, Kingan Jones, Caroline Church, Elusiv and Hailwood have all created designs for style conscious Kiwis – with $5 from each pair of Designer Jandals™ sold going to New Zealand’s underprivileged children.

The Designer Jandals™, which retail for just $12.99, are the brainchild of KidsCan General Manager Julie Helson who wants to see $50,000 raised from the initiative which will become an annual fundraising campaign for KidsCan.

The money donated will go towards supporting KidsCan’s inspiring community programmes; ‘Raincoats for Kids’, ‘Shoes for Kids’, and ‘Food for Kids’, which help youngsters in low decile schools.

These programmes currently meet the basic physical and nutritional needs of pupils in over 102 schools, from Kaitaia to Invercargill, with a further 24,000 children on the waiting list for assistance.

International success story Zambesi used the motif from its Summer 2008 collection for the jandals, says designer Elisabeth Findlay.

“We are so pleased to be involved in the Designer Jandals™ project for KidsCan. We hope our design brings something different to the collection and raises the much needed support for disadvantaged kids in New Zealand,” she says.

Auckland designer Sera Lilly created two pairs of the limited edition jandals and says as a mother was happy to lend her creative talents to the project.

“I know how important it is that children are given the best possible start in life. That’s why KidsCan is such a great charity because it provides underprivileged Kiwi kids with the necessities they might otherwise miss out on.”

Sera Lilly’s jandals are based on the two most popular designs from her recent collection. “Hopefully the success these designs had in store can be replicated to raise a lot of money for this great cause.”

Designer Adrian Hailwood who featured a toucan on his jandals says he wanted to create something bright and cheerful for both children and adults alike.

“I chose a toucan because they are bright, cheerful and they make you laugh.”

Helson says the charity is thrilled to have the support of these talented designers who are helping poorer Kiwi kids get access to things the majority of us take for granted.

“Working with jandals was perfect for this initiative because while they might be basic fashion footwear for most of us, they are a luxury for many children in this country,” says Helson.

Only 10,000 of the limited edition Designer Jandals™ will be produced and will be sold through Number 1 Shoes stores nationwide.

“We are extremely grateful to Number 1 Shoes who along with this initiative are also responsible for helping us put shoes on the feet of thousands of disadvantaged Kiwi kids each year as part of the KidsCan Shoes for Kids programme,” she says.


Over the past three years KidsCan has provided 24,000 free adidas All Blacks raincoats and 4,000 pairs of shoes and distributed 240,000 items of food a year to underprivileged Kiwi kids.

For more information on KidsCan Designer Jandals™ visit www.KidsCan.org.nz  

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Notes to Editors:

Kingan Jones
“We based our jandal design on our inspiration for our summer collection, which came from my trip to India last year for my brother’s wedding. Our design is based on a mehndi design – traditional for Indian weddings the bride and her friends are adorned with these beautiful designs the night before the wedding….. I was so intrigued by the ceremony of this occasion – there are so many intricate and different designs – it’s amazing!” Claire Kingan Jones

Elusiv
“This design represents New Zealand. In Maori it translates to Aotearoa “The Land of the Long White Cloud”. There are also many other symbols incorporated into this design. Hei Matau (fish Hook) – based at the tip of the North island. Koru ( the unfolding fern frond)- flowing in and out of the map of New Zealand. It depicts endearment in the form of the relationship of a parent and a child or husband and wife.
The korus in this design also represent lakes and rivers flowing to the sea…everything is connected,” Nicola Reilly.

Carlson
“The Carlson jandal is a vintage floral design reminiscent of joyful sunny days and inspired by my latest summer collection,” Tanya Carlson.



Caroline Church:
“The Pohutakawa in full flower epitomises a New Zealand summer for me and most people, hence the flower design on the jandals. It's my favourite flower, I even hand-embroidered them on my wedding dress. The crisp white and red design will show off tanned feet to perfection.” Caroline Church

KidsCan
The KidsCan Charitable Trust is a national charity dedicated to levelling the playing field for New Zealand children living in poverty. The specific charitable objectives of the Trust are to meet the basic physical and nutritional needs of financially disadvantaged New Zealand children.

The Trust was founded in August 2005 by Julie Helson and Carl Sunderland on the back of an evaluation carried out in 80 low decile schools. This evaluation found thousands of Kiwi kids were missing out on the basics that most of us take for granted when growing up including access to three meals a day, raincoats to keep them dry in winter, and shoes to keep their feet warm and prevent foot injury.

The KidsCan Charitable Trust receives no government funding so fundraising events such as Designer Jandals™ are vital to the success of the initiatives.