Now You Can Save Lives by Catching Waves

Meet the latest product to go (RED) – the Channel Islands (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition M-13 Surfboard . Offering double helix technology, this surfboard is a performance hybrid design that caters to the widest possible type and size of surfer and the widest range of wave conditions. This is a limited edition available here.

And in the words of Jake Burton, founder of Burton Snowboards, Channel Islands’ parent company:

“If we could all start our day with a morning surf and a grateful state of mind this planet would a happier place. It’s pretty cool to make a surfboard that surfers can rip on like they never have before and help those in desperate need of help at the same time.”

We’re excited to welcome Channel Island to the (RED) family. A portion of the sale of all Channel Islands (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition surfboards goes to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

They are in! The Vena Cava for Converse 1HUND(RED) Artists shoes!

“If we designed a shoe that in even a small way helps with the AIDS situation in Africa, then we’re happy to do so,” Sophie Buhai of Vena Cava

The latest shoe in the Converse 1HUND(RED) Artists series is now available. Designed by Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava, this new Chuck Taylor All Star shoe features Vena Cava’s signature Havisu print.

10% of the net wholesale price of the shoe is contributed to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. It’s available at the (RED) Stores - open for the holidays in London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo, online at Converse.com, and at select retailers. Shoes retail for $75.

Converse hosted a launch party for the Vena Cava shoe at one of NYC’s most eclectic spots- Sammy’s Roumanian restaurant on the Lower East Side. Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava, Nylon Editor-in-Chief Marvin Scott Jarrett, Elle Style Director Kate Lanphear, GQ Fashion Editor Damien Nunes and Downtown “It Girl” Becka Diamond were just some of the attendees who turned out to celebrate the hot design team and their contribution to the Converse 1HUND(RED). Here are some of the pictures from the night:

A Special Offer from our Friends at Shazam

Shazam is now offering a festive promotion for this Holiday season. Now the (SHAZAM) RED app costs $2.99 (normal price:$4.99). It's for a limited time only and available in 22 countries. Get it now!

(TIMBUK2) RED Has Arrived

Your favorite messenger bags are now a (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition. The (TIMBUK2) RED Special Edition messenger bag comes in two designs: Optical and Racing Stripe. Show your (RED) stripes wherever you go.

Conceived in a San Francisco garage by a bike messenger named Rob Honeycutt, Timbuk2 has been a pioneer of the messenger bag since 1989, proudly building bags and accessories with a simple philosophy – create good-looking, tough as hell bags you can truly make your own. Now, for the first time, buying Timbuk2 can help save lives in Africa, too.

Timbuk2 contributes 5% of revenue from our (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition Messenger Bags to the Global Fund. Bags are priced at $95 / £85 / €65 / ¥ 14,900 and are available in (RED) pop-up shops and online. Check them out!

Philanthrocapitalism - How Giving Back Can Save the World

“We have to transform [the world] into one of shared responsibilities, shared opportunities, and a shared sense of community. Bishop and Green show us how to do it." So says President Bill Clinton in his foreword to the new paperback edition of Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World” by Matthew Bishop of The Economist and Michael Green.


This inspiring book is about the revolution in giving back that is transforming our world. They show have everyone from billionaires like Bill Gates to people with just a few spare dollars can play a role in giving back through platforms such as (RED) and Kiva that make their giving more impactful than ever.

According to Philanthrocapitalism, (RED) is one of the leaders of a new sort of “conscious consumerism”. Increasingly, customers realize they have a lot of power when they are spending, and they have an appetite to know as much as possible about the companies they buy from. The book quotes Bono, the co-founder of (RED), describing the brand as having “a certain sex appeal, smartness, that doesn’t talk down or attempt to guilt-trip people. Somewhere between desire and virtue is our place. People can buy nice things but at the same time have an impact on the biggest health crisis in six hundred years.”

For more info visit www.philanthrocapitalism.net

Buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble & Borders

Harper's Bazaar Goes (RED) with Scarlett

(RED) Ambassador Scarlett Johansson graces the cover of January’s issue of Harper’s Bazaar in the UK, and it’s turned (RED)! Tagged as one of the top 20 “Women to Inspire in 2010” Scarlett goes face to face with Bono to talk about why she’s such a strong supporter of (RED), how it was to visit Rwanda with us last year and what it was like to see firsthand the power of the Lazarus Effect.

“It was explained to me this idea of the Lazarus Effect [with HIV/AIDS] before and after taking antiretroviral drugs. But it was something else to see it. I’d seen photographs of Denise, and she was so sad and hopeless, with sunken eyes. But when I met her she was fine. She had light in her eyes, she was a healthy weight, and she was able to look after her brothers and sister. She was happy to receive us and kind of shy because the whole village came to see what was going on. The difference was amazing. She was so ill, and now she’s able to go to school and live a normal life.”

If you’re in the UK be sure to hit newsstands and grab the issue so you can read the full interview. If not take a look here for some of the great photos from the shoot.

TWEET UP to fight AIDS in Africa at (RED) Store in NYC

Let's fight AIDS in Africa together. Let's shop & talk at the (RED) Store on 5th Avenue. It’s open just for the holidays. Shop (RED). Talk (RED). Meet (RED). Get your (RED) button!

We’ll be there to answer your questions and give out some (RED) buttons/badges!

See you there. It's on Friday 18th December, 5pm. The (RED) Store is at 680 5th Avenue, at 54th Street.

With Hope Anything is Possible

Often times we like to share the stories of some of our friends from Africa – people living with HIV who are healthy thanks to antiretroviral medicine that (RED) and the Global Fund help finance. Today we introduce Felicité. Felicité is 37 years old. She is a mother and an Active Support Group member. She is also a survivor.


During the Genocide in 1994 Felicité was attacked and badly wounded. To this day, she does not know how she managed to climb out of the deep hole into which she’d been thrown. She found the strength despite her wounds to escape before the attackers returned and threw a grenade in the hole that killed her friends.

Ten years later, Felicité nearly died from AIDS. If it hadn’t been for the kindness of people who helped her buy antiretroviral therapy when she was extremely ill, she says she would have died. Her biggest fear at the time was who would care for her two children as their father had died some years previously.

Felicité says of that time “I had a CD4 count of three, I was nearly dead.” (A CD4 count is a measure that shows how strong a person’s immune system is. Healthy people have a CD4 count of 500 – 1500.)

Today, thanks to the availability of free antiretroviral therapy in Rwanda, financed in part by the Global Fund and (RED), Felicité is very proud of her health and strength: “Since I started my medicine I’m ok, I’m always fine.”

Felicité says that if she had to fund her own treatment she could not afford it. “If I had to pay for treatment it would be the end of my life, I wouldn’t survive.”

Felicité says having her health back has given her hope for her future and for children’s future. She says: “I’m moving with hope…. As long as I’m strong I don’t give up. I had nothing to start with but I have hope…I can do anything”.

(SHAZAM) RED is one of iTunes’ Best Apps of 2009!

This week the iTunes released Rewind 2009, their round up of “The Best of the Year in Music, TV, Movies and Apps.”

Apple’s list includes both editorially chosen (”Best of”) selections and a list of the year’s “Top Sellers.” And the (SHAZAM) RED Special Edition App which we just launched has been included in their “Best of” selection!

(SHAZAM) RED costs £2.99/ €3.99/ $4.99, depending on location. It's available in 22 countries from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/

COMING TOGETHER AS ONE

“In the last election, and over the course of history, young people have shown that when we get organized and committed, we are powerful. The fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease in poor countries needs our support, our energy and our commitment,” said actress and ONE member Ashley Greene.

Watch Ashley, along with her Twilight co-stars Kellan Klutz, Nikki Reed and Jackson Rathbone, in our sister organization, ONES’s new PSA, that asks young people to come together and get involved in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease. The spot also features stars from some of the hottest entertainment properties (which just so happen to be some of our favorite shows!) - Leighton Meester, Jessica Szohr and Ed Westwick from Gossip Girl, Hayden Panettiere from Heroes, Corbin Bleu from High School Musical, Tristan Wilds from 90210, John Cho from StarTrek and Brandon T. Jackson from Tropic Thunder.

http://www.one.org/buzz/

‘Love… Love… Love’ Sing it with (STARBUCKS) RED

In an unprecedented worldwide singing event, 124 countries came together to perform the legendary anthem ‘All You Need is Love’. Now you can raise your voice as well and help fight AIDS. Visit http://StarbucksLoveProject.com to watch a replay of the live event and then join in by singing ‘All you Need is Love’ yourself. For every voice added, up to 1 million submissions, Starbucks will make a contribution to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa.

In just one year, (STARBUCKS) RED has generated contributions equal to more than 7 million days of medicine for someone living with HIV in Africa. All of our voices can keep that momentum going… add yours here.

Why Africa?

There’s a question we get asked from time to time. It’s ‘why does (RED)’s work benefit AIDS programs only in Africa?’

There’s definitely a lot of work to be done everywhere in the world. (RED) focuses on Africa because 33 million people in the world have HIV, 22 million of whom live in Africa. It costs around 40 cents a day for the 2 pills that are needed to help keep someone living with HIV alive. Yet, more than 70% of the people in sub-Saharan Africa live on less than $2 a day. Every day 3,800 people die of AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. That’s why (RED) focuses on Africa and we applaud all efforts by all AIDS organizations world-wide.

Let the bidding begin!

(RED)™ has teamed up with our partner Bugaboo and world renowned author James Frey to create a one-of-a-kind Bugaboo Cameleon stroller that is now being auctioned off on eBay. The goal of the auction is to generate money for the Global Fund which finances AIDS grants in Rwanda, Lesotho, Swaziland and Ghana. The auction went live on December 1st, World AIDS Day, and will be running through December 10th.

The James Frey stroller made its debut during a VIP reception at Genius Jones in Miami on December 1st and was on display during Art Basel and Design Miami this past weekend. The stroller features various letters throughout the canvas of the stroller in a variety of different scripts that James applied personally using acrylic paint. We think it looks great!!


James also wrote a very touching essay about his support of (RED) for World AIDS Day and why the (RED) mission is so important to him. Read the incredibly emotional piece here.

And check out the auction now here and let the bidding begin!

(RED)NIGHTS New Year's Eve

This December 31 in New York City, (RED) will be ringing in the New Year in the most dramatic way – with Fischerspooner. Having seen the duo twice before, I can honestly tell you that no party is a like a Fischerspooner party.

Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner put on a spectacle with dancers, multiple costume changes and amazing theatrics.

Fischerspooner is more than just a band. They are visual art performers. Just recently they were featured in the MoMA’s Performance Exhibition Series which was developed in conjunction with the New York performance biennial Performa 09.

They promise an amazing show and experience. Every person in the audience will be dancing and entranced with the Fischerspooner magic. Plus, you will have done a little good in the world just by showing up – a portion of the proceeds goes to help those affected by AIDS in Africa.

Click here to buy tickets for the (RED)NIGHTS New Year’s Eve party at Live Nation.

Or try your luck to win a trip to New York City and be a VIP at the show! www.livenation.com/rednights – not to mention, if you win, you’ll also get (RED)NIGHTS goodies and a year’s worth of Converse kicks!

Hope to see you there!

Monica@(RED)

It’s #follow friday: here’s who we’re following.

Thank you so much to everyone who turned their tweets the color red on Dec 1 in honor of World AIDS Day. Thank you for being involved and for helping bring awareness to the AIDS crisis. To quote Twitter’s co-founder, Biz Stone: "When you zoom out and look at the massive level of participation in turning the Web red, it proves how much of an impact we can make together using technology as a tool for positive social change."

Here are just some of the people who showed their support. There were so many more. Thank you…

@biz, @aplusk, @BarackObama @RyanSeacrest, @KimKardashian, @mrskutcher, @coldplay, @google, @mashable, @falloutboy, @petewentz, @peoplemag, @queenrania, @rainn_wilson, @PerezHilton, @AFineFrenzy, @johnlegend, @serenajwilliams, @richardpbacon, @manomenezes, @ParisHilton, @stephenfry, @ItsOnAlexa,@rustyrockets, @wossy, @shakira, @Alyssa_Milano, @TheRealJordan, @AlanCarr, @elizadushku, @Schofe, @DrPhil, @UncleRUSH, @jamie_oliver, @DameElizabeth, @ThisisDavina, @andy_murray, @_MAXWELL_, @DrOz, @thekillers, @MrJayManuel, @jamesboyce, @ingridmusic, @juneAmbrose, @erickoston, @SPINmagazine, @RachaelRayShow, @thefader, @joshuaradin, @Mikemo327, @brettdennen, @thedoctors, @therealcrailtap, @OfficialAAR, @ziggymarley, @sondreofficial, @gomeztheband, @LisaHBand, @flidby, @Chicobrenes, @michaelskolnik, @chrisroberts1, @MargheritaT, @OrganicGangster, @trevor_neilson, @hencehemmo, @marvelynbrown, @modernista, @randizuckerberg, @jack, @tonyfratto, @twitter, @trippingonwords, @jennadawn @Starbucks, @dellhomeoffer, @delllounge, @delloutlet, @mystarbucksidea, @hallmarkpr, @nikefootball, @bugaboo, @maggiepie411, @RealZachBraff

The Economist World in 2010 Festival Benefits the Global Fund

(RED) and The Economist are coming together for the publication’s World In 2010 Festival – a festival of trends, issues and ideas that will shape the future. The Economist is generously contributing 5% of ticket sales to the Global Fund, inspired by (RED). The contribution will go towards programs to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

The World In 2010 Festival is taking place December 6-7th at George Washington University in Washington, DC. From informed speakers who will address pressing economic, business, and political matters to segments by world-renowned performers, the event is sure to be a feast for the curious mind.

Highlights of The World in 2010 Festival include:

• Rare opportunity to be part of NBC's "Meet the Press" live studio audience and watch Anchor David Gregory and John Micklethwait, Editor in Chief of The Economist in a panel discussion on the year ahead*
• An evening of laughs with John Oliver of The Daily Show and friends
• Predictions for economic activity across the world by Austan Goolsbee, Council of Economic Advisers at The White House
• Chancellor Michelle Rhee of the District of Columbia Public Schools speaking on the future of education

*Please note: tickets to “Meet the Press” are limited to the first 200 pass holders.

For more information go to http://worldin2010.economist.com

Kobe Bryant Laces Up To Save Lives

At last night's Lakers vs. Hornets game Kobe Bryant was sporting (NIKE) RED shoelaces - the newest addition to the (PRODUCT) RED collection. The laces are available online here and at NIKETOWNS around the world.

100% of the profits from the sale of the laces goes to fight AIDS in Africa. 50% will support football-based community programs supported by NIKE. 50% will go directly to the Global Fund which provides medicine and support to those affected.

And even more, we heard that Kobe will sign his game shoes and donate them for auction, with the proceeds going to benefit the Global Fund and football-based programs supported by Nike.

Cities Turn (RED)

Yesterday in support of World AIDS Day 13 cities across the US, UK and Ireland stood up in the fight against AIDS and lit up their monuments (RED). It was all part of (RED)’s initiative to bring places, brands, organizations and people together from all over the world to make one statement. That ONE COLOR UNITES US. And that color is (RED).

Check them out:

London, England – London Eye and Trafalgar Square, BT Tower




Los Angeles, CA – Central Library & LAX Pylons



Baltimore, MD – Washington Monument


San Francisco, CA – City Hall & Coit Tower



St. Louis, MS – Civil Courts Building


Boston, MA – Zakim Bridge


Chicago, IL – CNA Building


Columbus, OH – City Hall


Providence, RI – 1 Financial Plaza, 111 Westminister St, City Hall and Skating Rink




Salt Lake City, UT – City & County Building

(RED) CEO, Susan Smith Ellis, Talks About What You Can Do To Help Fight AIDS in Africa