Denim Day NYC Campaign

Beauty for Freedom, BK Style Foundation and Council for Fashion and Social Change Launch Denim Day NYC Campaign
Raising Awareness for the Battle to End Sexual and Domestic Violence


BK Style “Denim Walk” – across The Brooklyn Bridge
April 26 – 9am gathering at Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joralemon St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Denim Walk at 9:45am across the BK Bridge

Denim Day Rally/Press Conference April 26, 2017 (11AM AT FOLEY SQUARE)
JOIN US TO TAKE A STAND AND END SEXUAL ASSAULT AND VIOLENCE!

 

Denim Day Musical Scoring Credits
Todd Sines

 

NEW YORK (April 12, 2017) – BK Style Foundation, anti-trafficking organization Beauty for Freedom, Council for Fashion and Social Change and visual artists/designers Fabiola Jean-Louis, Katya Akuma, Chantel Valentene, Monica Watkins, Jerry Chu and Butch Diva (Tiffany Rhodes) have partnered with City-As School in creating a Denim Day NYC Video and Photographic Campaign raising awareness for the survivors of sexual and domestic violence.

Launching April 2017 and Co-Directed by Monica Watkins and Candice Fortin in collaboration with Director of Photography Todd Sines and fashion photographer Andries Boekleman, the campaign’s mission is to engage New Yorkers in the fight to end sexual and domestic violence and to raise funds and awareness for Denim Day NYC’s survivor advocacy programming. The second installment of the video and photo series created by CTM Sisters Productions in partnership with Beauty for Freedom, BK Style Foundation and Council for Fashion and Social Change, features the collaborative designs of Fabiola Jean-Louis, Katya Akuma, Chantel Valentene, Monica Watkins, Jerry Chu and Butch Diva along with design students Alex Lora, Anna Schwab and Hazel Cetemen of City-As School. Musical scoring is an original musical composition by composer Todd Sines featuring voices of several brave survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence and advocates tackling issues of victimization. Supermodels featured in the campaign will include activists/models Mari Malek founder of stand4education , Kadi Correia and Vika Levina.

*Esteemed sponsors include Tom’s Sons International Pleating providing textile pleating for the Denim Day NYC Capsule collection and a mentorship with the City-As Design Academy Youth.

 

 

“BK Style Foundation is committed to supporting causes that affect our community, and we recognized Denim Day NYC’s mission and think it’s very important that we support a cause that touches everyone. Sexual assault/Violence is an epidemic in communities globally and we want to do our part to raise awareness.”- Rick Davy | Founder/Executive Director BK Style Foundation

“We are truly excited to launch the Denim Day NYC Campaign in honor of all of the survivors of sexual and domestic violence globally. Their voices and bravery inspire us to do our part in the fight for all survivors!”- Monica Watkins | Founder Beauty for Freedom

“Council for Fashion and Social Change is committed to causes that support survivors of sexual and domestic violence. We are very inspired to mentor and support the students of City-As School in co-creating this collection using recycled denim.” – Katya Akuma | Founder of Council for Fashion and Social Change

 

About Beauty for Freedom
Beauty for Freedom is an innovative, sustainable platform providing the industries of Beauty and Fashion with a means to raise awareness, accountability, and financial contributions for charitable foundations and non-profits who fight human trafficking globally. Summer 2017, Beauty for Freedom will be producing a series of art, music, photography and writing workshops in West Africa (Project Ghana) meant to promote self-esteem and self-expression for survivors of sex-trafficking.

About Denim Day NYC
Denim Day NYC is a coalition of community agencies, elected officials, students, and volunteers united to promote awareness around the issue of sexual assault. Denim Day grew out of a case in which a rape conviction was overturned because the judge reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that she helped her assailant to remove them, implying consent. People were outraged all over the world and wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes and myths surrounding sexual assault. Denim Day started in Los Angeles and has grown into an international movement. Denim Day NYC started in 2010 with a collaborative of three agencies and has grown to more than 40 agencies uniting to promote awareness around the issue of sexual assault.

BK Style Foundation was established in 2006, BKSF is committed to creating project that will support and inspire the community thru fashion, art and music. BKSF is devoted to supporting and collaborating with other charitable organizations including the (Soles4Souls Foundation, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, The Foundation for Art in Motion and Denim Day NYC. BKSF lends a voice to social issues including human rights, HIV/AIDS awareness, eco-friendly/sustainability initiatives, poverty, community development and leadership training. www.bkstyle.org

About Council for Fashion and Social Change
Council for Fashion and Social Change, Inc. (“CFSC”) is a non-profit organization based in New York, organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. CFSC’s goal is to raise funds for charitable causes using innovative collaborations between the fashion industry, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. One of CFSC’s primary objectives is to help other existing non-profit organizations by initiating short term fundraising projects and activities by leveraging collaborations with fashion companies.

About City-As School High School
City-As-School offers a rigorous program that sets high expectations both for students and the professionals in the community who work with them. We utilize the facilities of over 500 New York City businesses at which students participate in professional activities. These Educational Resources, along with classroom learning, form the basis of learning in math, history, English, science and other academic areas. All student learning experiences are designed to provide background information and skill acquisition through the attainment of practical knowledge.

About Tom’s Sons International Pleating
Leon and George Kalajian are a father-and-son team who can trace their involvement in the garment industry back 150 years. They currently run their business, Tom’s Sons International Pleating, located in New York City’s Garment District. Known for their ability to execute complex work, they attract projects from all over the world including major Hollywood films and restoration work for museums. Leon is officially retired, but is committed to passing down his knowledge to his son, George. Both have a passion for pleating and enjoy spending quality time together discussing ways to refine their techniques.

 

Media Contact
info@beautyforfreedom.org