The 2011 Heshima Fashion Challenge for a Good Cause!

Heshima Kenya from manifestmedia on Vimeo.

Nearly 100,000 refugees live in Kenya and are forced to live daily with rape, abuse, forced marriage, and HIV.  These victims often have nothing to turn to and little hope for a future.  Chicago-based organization Heshima Kenya made it’s mission to to make a change and provide refugee minors with shelter, medical care, counseling, and emotional support (watch the video above to see how the organization has helped thousands of women & children).  A division of Heshima Kenya is the Maisha (in Swahili means “Life”) Collective – an income-generating project of Heshima Kenya that empowers refugee girls to mange a business collective that designs and produces a lines of hand-dyed scarves.

To support its mission, 10 of Chicago’s up and coming designers will be participating in the 2011 Heshima Kenya Fashion Challenge, a Project Runway inspired competition that will give each designer a scarf created by the Maisha Collective 2 weeks ahead of time and create an original look.  The challenge will be hosted Lara Miller and Marcus Riley, and judged by Billy Dec, Christina Hanson (Nordtsrom), Matt Lorenz (Bravo’s Top Design) & Bianca Alexander (Conscious Living TV).

The Fashion Challenge will be held on Tuesday, July 25^th from 6-9pm with Grey goose cocktails, local beer, and organic appetizers at Room 1520 in the West Loop.  There will be great raffle prizes to from Akira, the Dana Hotel and Spa, Melissa’s Shoes, and more.  Guests can also bid on the designs featured at the fashion show.  For more info, visit http://www.heshimafashionchallenge.com/ & to attend the event or donate to this cause, click here.

–Amy Shah