AN INNOVATIVE PLATFORM FOR PHILANTHROPY

April 25, 2022

April is National Volunteer Month and Centric Brands has embraced the spirit. A brand-building company with an extensive portfolio of licenses, Centric on Monday launches a new kind of philanthropic program, called Centric Cares. It’s geared for associates and partners to get more engaged with philanthropic causes.

The initiative includes monetary and in-kind donations, a soon-to-launch employee donation matching program, employee volunteer opportunities and a “Creators for a Cause” series for associates “to harness their creative skills to give back to the communities where they live and work,” the company noted in a statement Friday.

The new philanthropic approach extends Centric Brands’ support of nonprofits including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Dress for Success, American Red Cross, Learning Ally, Haitian Americans United for Progress, Delivering Good, Save the Children, the UN Refugee Agency and others. All told, Centric Cares works with more than 40 local partners in New York; Montreal; Greensboro, N.C., and Los Angeles.

Jason Rabin, chief executive officer of Centric Brands, said the company’s social impact efforts are “centered around our commitment to serve and uplift the communities where we live and do business” and that the Centric Cares program provides “many ways to get involved and make a difference.” Alana Weinroth, senior development officer for Covenant House, said Centric “is such a committed organization that supports us from the top down. They have done everything from donating personal funds, raising funds, donating corporate dollars, to doing gift drives and volunteering their time.”

Centric has a “Be Giving” committee of volunteer associates fostering the philanthropic efforts. In addition to identifying causes important to support, the committee works to form stronger relationships with partner organizations, create volunteer opportunities and develop a Centric Cares hub on its intranet. The hub has a volunteer portal that lists all volunteering events across each office and includes a sign-up link to participate and an in-kind donation form so it’s easy for divisions to donate excess product to partners in need.

In addition, Centric will launch “Creators for a Cause,” an internal product series tapping creative and design teams in support of timely issues. They will design limited-edition products for purchase exclusively by Centric associates. All proceeds from Creators for a Cause will be donated to a partner organization connected to the issue at the center of the product. For the rest of April, associates will be able to purchase a variety of handcrafted stuffed animals made of deadstock denim in support of Earth Day designed and handmade by members of the marketing/creative team. Proceeds will be donated to The Nature Conservancy.

Also, to support Pride Month, which is June, a colorful canvas tote bag with the stylized words “Say Gay,” was designed by a designer from the accessories division. Proceeds from the tote will be donated to the It Gets Better Project. Centric designs, sources, markets and sells products in the apparel, accessories, beauty and entertainment categories. The portfolio includes licenses for more than 100 brands, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Spyder and Under Armour in the kidswear; Joe’s Jeans, Buffalo, Herv. L.ger and Izod in the men’s and women’s apparel category; Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, AllSaints, Frye, Timberland, Hunter and Jessica Simpson in the accessories category, and in the entertainment category, Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon and Warner Bros., among many others.

The company also owns and operates Zac Posen, Hudson, Robert Graham, Avirex, Fiorelli, and Taste Beauty and operates a joint venture brand, Favorite Daughter, with Sara and Erin Foster.

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