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Day 1 : GRATITUDE
BY Sade Solomon

Sade Solomon in South Africa

I knew that on this journey to South Africa, gratitude would be one quality I would have to take home with me. However, I didn’t expect that I would feel so grateful on the first day of my trip.
On day 1, I traveled from the airport to the studio of David Tlale who is renowned as the Marc Jacobs of South Africa. Upon arrival I was introduced to his amazing team of pattern-makers, seamstresses, tailors and designers.
In the spirit of UCOF I was put straight to work.

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For Immediate Release

United Colors of Fashion Announces Its Annual Charity Trip to South Africa

New York, NY (March 2, 2013) – United Colors Of Fashion (UCOF), a one-of-a-kind Fashion philanthropic organization is on its way to South Africa from March 6-13th for its annual charity trip.

UCOF uses the annual charity trip to Soweto to bring clothes, shoes, school supplies and donations for the children they are helping at Mapetla Day Care. While monetary donations and supplies are important, it is equally important that UCOF team members along with multiple sponsors and volunteers spend quality time with all the children of Mapetla Day Care. The time spent show the children love and affection that they so richly deserve, ultimately offering them hope for a brighter future.

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BY: Jamil Khan

Our president, Ciano Clerjuste in Soweto with the children.

JOHANNESBURG – United Colors Of Fashion (UCOF) will depart this week for our much-anticipated journey to South Africa. It is a goal we have been working towards since 2012 and we are thrilled to finally realize this trip. UCOF has been working tirelessly to raise funds for the children we support through our Charity Care Program, in Soweto, Johannesburg. With the incessant support from our donors, board members and staff we have raised $3000 for the 45 children at Mapetla Day Care.

The UCOF team will hand over the funds we have raised this past year, along with clothing, school supplies, shoes and other necessities. The children are always in need of these items, so once again, we appeal to the generosity of our donors to make this trip even more special.

Any donations of clothing, school supplies and shoes for children aged 1-5 would be, not only a gesture if goodwill, but a concerted effort to make a difference to the lives of children who have never known the luxury of a normal standard of living.

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BY: Jamil Khan

Logo of United Colors Of Fashion (UCOF)

JOHANNESBURG –United Colors Of Fashion (UCOF) was founded three years ago with a dream to improve lives and a bold promise that all money raised for UCOF’s programs would be used solely for that purpose. How does this make UCOF special, you ask? You thought that’s how all charities operate, didn’t you? Well not exactly.

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BY: Jamil Khan

JOHANNESBURG – Every year United Colors Of Fashion (UCOF) chooses an intern as the Top Intern of the Year. This intern is usually an outstanding fashion hopeful that has been learning all they can through our Fashion Education Program and working hard behind the scenes of UCOF.

The intern we’re honoring today takes hard work to a different level and therefore we are naming Sade Solomon our Achiever of the Year. This phenomenal young lady hails from South Bronx in New York, where graduating from high school is deemed nothing short of a miracle. Having faced insurmountable odds, Sade refused to accept the script circumstance handed her to live her life by. After graduating from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies, she accepted a job as a caseworker for a New York City foster care agency. Being exposed to the sad reality of childhood dynamics for New York children, Sade decided her role as a caseworker was stifling her ability to do the best she could for her juvenile clients.

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BY: Jamil Khan

David Tlale: Spring
2013 Collection

JOHANNESBURG – Now one of the most exciting events in the Big Apple, held bi-annually, New York Fashion Week was once but a ploy to bring attention to American Fashion. First held in 1943 and named “Press Week”, it was organized by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert to divert attention from French fashion during World War II, when insiders of the fashion industry could not travel to Paris to see fashion shows. The aim of the event was to allow fashion journalists to see American creations, which they had previously ignored. Strangely, buyers were not invited and had to visit designers’ showrooms. Following the success of Press Week, American fashion soon started laying itself down on the pages of Vogue where French designs took sole occupancy for years.

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For Immediate Release

New York, NY (January 26, 2013) Fashion philanthropy organization, United Colors Of Fashion (UCOF) is due to present an Avant-garde exhibition commencing on February 9 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, extending until March 2, 2013, at Rain NYC, located at 59 West 49th Street at Rockefeller Center.

United Colors Of Fashion, a 501 (C)(3) organization, which Vigore magazine calls an “epidemic of hope,” runs a fashion education program in New York City.
The program engages under-resourced youth with opportunities in fashion and exposes them to the fashion industry in its true form. This program is unique in that it is the only one in the United State that is offered to interns free of charge. In addition, the organization heavily provides financial assistance to children with HIV/AIDS in Soweto, Johannesburg in South Africa.

“Hope Beyond Horizons,” the name given to this exhibition, alludes the parallel hope and passion of aspiring artist, and that of those fighting for their lives in Soweto. A horizon is the depth as far as what the human eye can visually encompass, but UCOF offers exceeding hope beyond these limitations by providing individuals with inconceivable opportunities.

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BY: Jamil Khan

The Mayans might have taken some shortcuts on their research, making the proposed doomsday one of the most lackluster events of 2012. On the bright side, we have another year to look forward to. A year of new opportunities, new energy and new possibilities gives us the chance to learn more, do more and give more.

As a charity organization, it is easy to fall into a clichéd comfort zone of fundraisers and donation pleas. United Colors of Fashion (UCOF) has invested much thought and creativity into redefining and renewing the operation of non-profit work and 2013 is going to be the year to set the wheels in more rapid motion. We have been driving our mission to raise funds for children with HIV/AIDS in Soweto, Johannesburg in South Africa. We will visit South Africa in March to deliver the fruits of this mission to the children of Mapetla Day Care Centre. In addition to this imminent mission, UCOF also raises funds for those suffering with paralysis and sickle cell anemia and runs a fashion education program in New York City. The program aims to educate under-resourced youth about the opportunities in fashion and expose them to the industry in its true form to give them a platform to become professionals in the fashion industry. This program is unique in that it is the only one of its kind and magnitude in the USA that is offered to interns free of charge.

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BY Jamil Khan

When going to a holiday destination one is inclined to abandon the stresses and burdens of day-to-day life. That is exactly what I planned to do during my holiday visit to Bilene, Mozambique this past festive season. As I drove through the picturesque province of Mpumalanga in South Africa, I felt the holiday mood enveloping me and a sense of excitement started building for my tropical beach holiday. Once my family and I conquered the border control offices at Ressano Garcia, the holiday had begun.

When I entered Mozambique, I quickly realized how much had been lost in translation of reality to the brochure. As a first time visitor, the experience was most sobering, because I got so close to abject poverty I could physically touch it. I looked into the faces of smiling Mozambicans who still had the politeness to welcome me into their country and my eyes fell on their dust-laden feet with a heavy heart. Passing by them, in an air-conditioned luxury SUV I had become one pole of the inequality that characterizes the African continent. A further realization slapped me in the face – I am that pole in my own country as well.

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BY: Jamil Khan

It is in giving that we receive, and what we receive is not always equal in form or proportion to what we gave. This is a concept that our world of concrete thinkers and organized successes often fail to grasp. The holiday season has become somewhat of a rat race of consumerism, in which the most ostentatious contender wins and we have lost sight of the symbolism behind Christmas. Do we really think that the commemoration of the birth of Christ was intended to placate one another with expensive gifts and in so doing bankrupt ourselves until the next season arrives? The character of Christ indeed contradicts this practice.

Of course, the Christmas spirit should be exciting for all and the tradition of exchanging gifts with loved ones is dearly cherished. So why not have yourself a United Colors Of Fashion Christmas and make a donation to our mission of helping kids with HIV/AIDS in Soweto, in lieu of Christmas gifts? Using the many gatherings that occur during this time, you can raise funds and encourage others to do the same, to give children in Soweto a glimpse of the Christmas we have experienced ad nauseam.

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