Celebrities pen messages of hope at Alice + Olivia's charity event

Celebrities pen messages of hope at Alice + Olivia's charity event

SINGAPORE - New York-based label Alice + Olivia hosted its first philanthropic event in Singapore by getting celebrities to pen specially hand-written letters to children beneficiaries of the YRF-ISCOS Fairy Godparent Programme (FGP).

The Kindness Project is an international initiative to spread messages of love, kindness and positivity, and the party was part of the American brand's founder and CEO Stacey Bendet's efforts to bring the movement to Singapore. The local event held on June 13 was in collaboration with Industrial & Services Co-Operative Society Ltd (ISCOS) which helps ex-offenders and their families since 1989.

Celebrities and fashion personalities such as Sheila Sim, Hanli Hoefer, Sofia Wakabayashi and Dawn Yang had a chance to write personal messages to any of the 50 children involved in the programme and hang it on a "tree" which was specially erected for the event. The messages were sent to the children the next day, along with care packages containing school supplies.

Model and actress Sheila Sim said this charitable function felt very personal to her. She was appreciative of the efforts the team had put in to gather bite-sized background information of the 50 children involved in the programme. By doing so, it gave her a chance to connect and relate more to the children, thus penning a more sincere message to the child she had selected.

With a kids' theme in place, the Kindness Project party transformed Alice + Olivia's flagship boutique at Orchard Ion into a candy wonderland. The boutique was decorated with all things delightful and colourful, with a centre-piece buffet of candy and chocolate pops, cupcakes and cookies by local French-Australian styled cake service Pretty Delicious. Savoury hor d'oeuvres prepared by Marmalade Pantry were also served up alongside the sweet treats.

Sofia Wakabayashi, a former contestant on Asia's Next Top Model, said the fun vibe of the party made it very inviting. By being involved in charity, she said it gave the brand more personality and depth.

Founder Stacey Bendet said she has always believed that a kind gesture can go a long way. For the Kindness Project, she recently paired up with reality star Kourtney Kardashian on an art wall dedicated to the Boston bombing tragedy, and last year, she worked with Korean-American graffiti artist, David Choe, to throw a disco art party for her celebrity friends and guests.

wjeanne@sph.com.sg

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