Shop Jessica Alba's holiday wish list through philanthropic retail concept, Olivela
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As a fashion editor, it’s ingrained in me to love to shop. But it’s still never easy to justify buying a pair of designer shoes or a pricy handbag. But now, there’s a new company called Olivela that is making luxury shopping not only irresistible, but it also makes you feel good by giving back.
Olivela (pronounced: /ah – li – VAY – lah/) is derived from two words: “Olive” and “Vela.” According to the site, “The olive tree represents growth and wisdom, and Vela is the Latin word for sails of a ship. Olivela helps set children forth on the right path in life.”
It’s an entirely new online retail concept developed by founder and CEO Stacey Boyd. The site blends the best of two words — luxury and social responsibility. A portion of the proceeds from every item sold through the site benefits a charity.
For the forthcoming holiday season, Olivela has launched their “Holiday Wish List” series, which will continue until December 25. The company partnered with four successful female entrepreneurs, leaders, and movers and shakers. As Boyd shares with Yahoo Lifestyle, “We hand-selected ‘style conscious’ women from the worlds of fashion, media and business who are highly regarded and recognized both for their style, as well as their philanthropic efforts.”
The selected women include actress and entrepreneur Jessica Alba, style blogger Charlotte Groeneveld, InStyle editor-in-chief Laura Brown, and Hollywood stylist Karla Welch. “These women resonate with our customers and and offer great guidance when it comes to searching for just the perfect gifts to give and receive,” says Boyd. Additional curators will be announced throughout the holiday season.
This week, Jessica Alba’s holiday wish list is unveiled. It features 8 hand-selected products from the site, whose sales will benefit Alba’s charity of choice, Baby2Baby, for two weeks, starting Nov. 14.
Alba, who is pregnant with her third child (a boy) is fresh off of the heels of her Baby2Baby Gala red carpet appearance. It’s clear that she is a big believer in helping young children get the products and care they need. Alba’s own business, The Honest Company, is already an existing partner of Baby2Baby, a charity that provides low-income children ages 0-12 with basic necessities like diapers and clothing.
In a Q&A session between Alba and Olivela, Alba shared that the one dream she has for kids today is, “now, more than ever, I want kids to maintain hope — to know that no dream is too big.”
Alba’s gift picks include a chic shearling coat and feminine black dress by Prabal Gurung; a silky soft pajama set from Olivia Von Halle; a cute rainbow key chain by Edie Parker; pink hued aviator sunglasses by Victoria Beckham; black leather backpack by Tods; gold hoop earrings by Ippolita; and a pair of sparkly studs by Julianne Himiko.
Olivela added jewelry as a brand new category on the site, and to celebrate, the company will donate a stroller to Baby2Baby for every jewelry purchase starting Nov. 22 until the 26th.
Olivela offers products from the industry’s leading luxury brands including Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Valentino, Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, Stuart Weitzman, among many more. Aside from the charities that the women from the Wish List series select, Olivela is a regular partner of the Good+ Foundation, The Malala Fund, VH1 Save the Music and Too Young To Wed. The best part is, each product provides a transparent description indicating exactly which charity your purchase will benefit and how it will help (i.e. 7 days of children essentials via the Good+ Foundation).
Boyd, who earned her MBA and master’s in public policy from Harvard, has a rich past in education, working both as a teacher and principal in addition to starting successful ventures including Schoola, Project Achieve, and now Olivela.
Ultimately, she wants “buyers to feel empowered when they shop on Olivela. You can improve the lives of children simply by buying what you love. And you can see the clear and specific benefit each purchase makes whether its days of school, days of music instruction, or basic essentials for kids in need.”
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