Cause Marketing Interview with Company and Cause

Cause Marketing, the partnering between companies and causes for the greater benefit of both has really taken off in the last few years. Consumers and eBay shoppers particularly love supporting brands which give back to worthy causes.

Auction Cause is please to introduce you to one such success story, Earnest Sewn Jeans and The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF). They have joined forces for a very special eBay Giving Works charity event which runs through March 29th – www.ebay.com/celebjeans

We asked Eleanor Ylvisaker, PR Director for Earnest Sewn, to give us some insight into the brand and the relationship with NHF:


(AC) How did you first become involved with NHF and can you describe the partnership?

(EY) We were contacted by the organization to have our celebrity clients donate autographed jeans to the cause for the auction. We investigated the cause, and saw all the wonderful things NHF is doing. We then contacted our celebrity friends and stylists, and everyone we reached out to was anxious to participate and join the cause.

(AC) What sets Earnest Sewn apart from other specialty/designer jeans?

(EY) What I see as setting us apart is our consistency in concept and strong lifestyle identity. Our concept lies in the idea of mixing the Japanese beauty aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi, with denim's Americana past. In staying true to this we incorporate pride in workmanship and commitment to authenticity.

Each garment in actually only worked on by three people. The Sewer who sews the entire garment from start to finish (instead of a factory assembly line) without any guides on the sewing machine (further adding to the hand made feel of the garment), the hand sander who sands down the jean with sand paper (after completing months of charcoal drawing training before he is ready to work on our garment), and the wet process technician, who washes the jean, resin coats it, and oven bakes it. These three people, along with myself, hand stamp the jean after each step of the process is complete. By signing our names we are committing our reputation to the product and claiming our belief in it.

Everything we do stays consistent with this lifestyle concept, from the design of our new An Earnest Cut & Sew clothing collection, to the brands like Santa Maria Novella (the oldest fragrance and beauty line out of Florence), Carpe Diem hand cobbled shoes and boots, and Rogues Gallery clothing and accessories that we carry in our flagship store in NYC. The focus is on superior product quality, and strong brand integrity.

(AC) Who are some of the celebrities who wear Earnest Sewn jeans?

(EY) Earnest Sewn has a strong celebrity following. Here is a list of some of some of our best clients:

Angelina Jolie, Ashley Olsen, Ashton Kutcher, Beyonce Knowles, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Cameron Diaz, Charlize Theron, Cindy Crawford, Courteney Cox, Demi Moore, Ellen DeGeneres, Ellen Pompeo, Forest Whitaker, George Clooney, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry. Jessica Alba, Katie Holmes, Kiefer Sutherland, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lindsay Lohan, Mary-Kate Olsen, Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, Nicole Richie, Orlando Bloom, Scarlett Johansson, Teri Hatcher, Uma Thurman and others.

(Their list included over 100 amazing celebrities, but due to space limitations, Auction Cause narrowed it down to just those mentioned here)

(AC) What are your thoughts on cause marketing through eBay Giving Works, http://givingworks.ebay.com?

(EY) I think it is a wonderful way to reach a broader market of people, and has the potential to raise much more of the needed funds for the charity.

Auction Cause next asked NHF to tell us more about hemophilia, why they have their auction listings on eBay Giving Works, and their relationship with Earnest Sewn Jeans

(AC) How is NHF making a difference for those with hemophilia?

(NHF) NHF educates the community through its programs and services. It provides: a hotline to request information; a prevention program to understand how to avoid complications of the disorder; a first step program for the newly diagnosed; a women with bleeding disorders program; a multicultural task force to reach underserved populations; and an annual meeting that brings everyone together. NHF advocates for insurance reform for the community on both the state and federal levels ensuring access to care. NHF seeks funding on the federal level to maintain the hemophilia treatment center network and is a watchdog on the safety of the blood supply. NHF funds research to find better treatments and an eventual cure for bleeding disorders and funds clinical fellowships to ensure the future of hemophilia treaters.

(AC) What is the most common misconception about hemophilia?

(NHF) The most common misconception about people with hemophilia is that they bleed to death. This is incorrect, they bleed at the same rate as a person without hemophilia they just bleed longer. Minor cuts and scrapes can be treated just like everyone else. Complications occur when internal bleeding takes place in the joints causing joint disease or in the muscles and if there is a head bleed this could lead to brain injury and possible death.

(AC) Why eBay Giving Works for your charity auction?

(NHF) We chose eBay Giving Works for our auction as it reaches a much broader audience than the hemophilia community and eBay allows for the promotion of awareness about the bleeding disorder.

(AC) Tell us more about your relationship with Earnest Sewn jeans. Have you worked with them on other projects?

(NHF) In 2006, we contacted several jeans companies who have celebrity clients to assist us with obtaining autographed jeans and the folks at Earnest Sewn were absolutely amazing in responding immediately and getting several high profile celebrities to participate and have been extremely generous in their efforts.

To learn more about Earnest Sewn Jeans, please visit http://www.earnestsewn.com. To learn more about National Hemophilia Foundation, please visit http://www.hemophilia.org.