You'll know by know I am passionate about two things - fashion, and animals. When both are combined, all the better. I'm vegetarian, have been for 12 years, which started when I ordered a chicken dish that when arrived, looked similar to a the contents of a rubbish bin that had been left outside, in the rain, and been driven over several times.But now, all those years later, and with many hours of video footage watched of battery farms etc, it's now about cruelty.(Bear with me, I'm getting to elephants now...)When the hubby and I went off on our honeymoon to Thailand, we knew we wanted to spend time with elephants. I'd done lots of research about the cruel camps and the kind ones, and had a choice of a few that I was desperate to visit. I was very particular - no iron rods to prod, no elephants painting on blank canvases, and no iron seats over their backs.We both came away from the elephants absolutely in love with the animals. They're quite incredible. Clever, loyal and gentle. So much so, that now I give monthly to Space for Giants - the organisation who work tirelessly to combat the poachers in Africa, and our new house is FULL with elephant paraphernalia (mugs, cushions, dishes, candles).And lately I've noticed that there is a lot happening in the charity world to raise funds for elephants: anti-poaching, saving habitats and preserving environments. Fun things. Fashion-y things too.The first comes from the organisation Wild Aid, who strive to end the illegal wildlife trade, in particular ivory. They recently launched their #JoinTheHerd activity, asking people to go ivory free for 2016, and they have a fun Instagram feature which puts your face and half an elephant's next to each other. Here's mine...
To tie in with this campaign, American designer Christian Siriano has created non-leather bags and elephant charms. For each bag and charm sold, the brand will donate some of the proceeds to organisations working to end poaching. I'm guessing one organisation is Wild Aid as Christian posted about the #JoinTheHerd campain on his Instagram account.
Shop the bags here...
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Next is Elephant Gin. Who'd have thought that getting drunk would result in helping to save these beautiful animals? Best of both worlds!
The people at Elephant Gin use African botanicals in their gin (which is distilled and made in Germany), and 15% of all their proceeds go directly to two organisations that are devoted to the conservation of wildlife in Africa. It all came about after the founders of the company spent time in Africa, and saw the need for this generation to help. Fast. See more here.
The last on my list is yet more drink, but this time... TEA! Williamson Tea to be exact - a fifth generation tea farming business committed to growing the highest quality sustainable teas to the benefit of Kenya, its communities, wildlife and environment.
You might recognise the elephant-designed tins of tea. I've seen them all over the place. And when you buy a caddy from the Williamson Tea website (here), £1 from each sale will be donated to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which helps against poaching of Kenya's elephant and rhino population. Find out more here.
So you see, everyone is out to help elephants! And if you feel inclined too, then why not get involved with one of the above. Every little helps!