In True Fashion Entrepreneurial Competition

“In True Fashion” press release – V.3 10.10.11

ANTICIPATION INTENSIFIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

AS VOTING IN “IN TRUE FASHION” ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETITION APPROACHES

ECHS Students Pull Out All the Stops in “Get-Out-The-Vote” Efforts

LAWNDALE, Calif., Oct. XX, 2011 – As the Oct. 18 – Nov. 15, 2011 voting period quickly approaches, tensions are mounting among students from Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) in Lawndale, Calif. as they anxiously await the results of the 2011 “In True Fashion” entrepreneurial competition to see which team's bag will become a part of current host company's JAMAH luxury handbag line.  Competing teams from ECHS’s 2010 and 2011 “In True Fashion” classes are pulling out all the stops in a final “get-out-the-vote” push among their families, friends and social media connections before the winning team is announced Wed., Nov. 16.

Excitement has been building and the competition intense in the months leading up to this point as ECHS “In True Fashion” students have learned important, hands-on lessons in entrepreneurship and teamwork while seeing their creations  through the design, manufacturing, financing and marketing processes.  The teams’ hard work has culminated in finished handbags that are now featured on the “In True Fashion” website.

The winning team’s design will be put into production and sold to the public as a new addition to the JAMAH Collection.  Every time the winning bag is purchased, a portion of its proceeds will go to Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and ECHS.  In addition to the vote, “In True Fashion” is hosting an online auction to sell the original handbags – autographed by members of the respective teams that created them – with proceeds going to support student entrepreneurship.

View the nominated handbags, vote and bid online at http://intruefashion.org/.

Commitment to Cause, Commerce and Consciousness

Founded in 2010 by luxury handbag designer Nancy Gale of JAMAH, “In True Fashion,” in partnership with NFTE, started at ECHS to expose the school’s largely low-income student population to consistent mentorship, real-world business experience and dreaming big.   According to Gale, “In True Fashion” is a competition-based entrepreneurial program that builds self-esteem and work ethic in students through hands-on participation and promotes the value of products “Made in the USA.” “Founded on cause, commerce and consciousness, ‘In True Fashion’ empowers today’s youth to dream big,” she explained.

“It’s not a fashion program. It’s about a process, not a product,” Gale continued. “We teach the kids business, marketing, sales and design, letting them see the entire process that actualizes in a tangible product.  The idea behind the program is that if these kids see what they can do together and what they can accomplish, then they will recognize that their skills extend into the same real world as kids that go to exclusive private schools.”

Workshops with expert mentors, factory field trips and business planning sessions introduce ECHS “In True Fashion” students to the realities of what it takes to run every aspect of a business. Since its inception the program has gained attention from such high-profile guest mentors as Richard Branson, founder of The Virgin Group; Jane Wurwand, founder and owner of Dermalogica and The International Dermal Institute; and Steve Schimmel, a founding business team member and 13th employee at Google.

Cultivating the Next Generation of Business Leaders

“Our students are benefitting immensely from the ‘In True Fashion’ program,” ECHS Founder and Executive Director Alison Suffet-Diaz said. “They are gaining insights into the real world and entrepreneurship that no traditional classroom experience could provide.  ‘In True Fashion’ is helping build their self-esteem and confidence, enhancing their team-building and organizational skills and improving their work ethic,” she elaborated.  “The program is teaching our students how to become responsible young business men and women.”

As one student put it:  “We are shown that we are equal, despite economic challenges, and we learn the skills and confidence to achieve greatness.”

For more information about “In True Fashion,” visit http://intruefashion.org/.

###

About Environmental Charter Schools:

The mission of Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) is to inspire students to discover their own sense of purpose, to equip all students with the knowledge and skills to graduate from college and to empower them to become quality stewards of their community and world. On top of their challenging classroom programs, students are required to apply concepts and skills gained in class to problem-solve local civic and environmental issues and take action to make a measurable impact. Students also participate in outdoor educational challenges to develop self-confidence and leadership skills. The first school was formed in 1999 by founder Alison Suffet-Diaz along with a group of parents, educators, businesses and non-profits to meet the educational challenges in a low-income area of southwest Los Angeles. The second school, a middle school, opened in September 2010.  In 2010, ECS was a finalist in consideration for President Obama to attend and present a graduation speech. http://www.echsonline.org/

Please contact us to arrange a personal tour of the ECHS campus or for an interview with founder Alison Suffet-Diaz.