Blue-Meets-Blue-Scarf-Giveaway-Humanitarianism-meets-fashion

Happy New Year! 2016 was one hell of a year, to put it mildly, but even with all of the crazy I still feel incredibly blessed with everything that I have around me. The fact that I can complain about 2016 from the safety of my home, with my family around me, puts me in a much better condition than many people around the world. One of the things that always nags at me is my desire to help change the world somehow. I know it sounds like a lofty goal – but if everyone did something, no matter how small – I believe we could make a real difference. Several months ago I had the pleasure of meeting someone who is definitely making a difference, Blue Meets Blue founder Shahd Alasaly . Once I learned about the company, I knew I wanted to collaborate.

Blue Meets Blue stands for endless freedom and connectedness, as free and connected as the blue of the ocean meeting the blue of the sky.The current refugee crisis is actually the biggest it has ever been since WWII, a statistic that Blue Meets Blue wants to change – specifically by employing female refugees here in Chicago.

I often think about the horrible conditions that refugees must have faced, being forced to leave the only home they know and forced to relocate to a foreign land where they may not know the language or customs. They don’t want a handout, they just want to live in dignity and without fear. Sometimes its a matter of just having a job opportunity so that they can provide for their family that makes all the difference in their lives. The women making the clothes at Blue Meets Blue are doing just that, becoming financially independent by using their skills to create beautiful pieces of clothing.

Today’s scarf is one of the coziest pieces I own. I wear it constantly. Half of the fabric is a super-soft faux fur, which sits right on your neck and chest, and the rest is a warm but much thinner fabric that lays flat across your body so when you zip up your coat, it looks streamlined and sophisticated. Blue Meets Blue is giving away one scarf of your choice to a lucky reader! Head over to my Instagram page for details on how to enter- I promise it is super easy.

Wishing you the best this year!