In an era where brands are becoming increasingly socially conscious to keep up with societal trends, Marc Skid is no exception. The recently launched online underwear retailer is using the finest, sustainably grown materials to provide its customers both a high-quality product and an opportunity to donate to feed, cure and save the world.
I became passionate about addressing social problems when I witnessed a host of them firsthand through mission work in Honduras. Dedicated to crafting a brand that offers benefits at every step of the process, the idea for the cheekily named Marc Skid was born. The brand was created to be like people Marc Skid admires, incorporate a little humor and give back to good causes.
We’ve since spent the past two years seeking partnerships with some of the best charities in the world and looking for the finest materials for our undies. Each pair of underwear is purposefully made with premium, organic pima cotton, which is grown on Peruvian family farms that strictly adhere to tried-and-true farming practices that exclude GMOs; and shun toxic pesticides in favor of sustainable growing methods such as crop rotation, intercropping, hand or mechanical weeding and introducing beneficial predator insects to control harmful insects. This “cashmere of cotton” is used in garments that are meticulously sewn for superior comfort.
In addition to pima cotton, Marc Skid underwear has paired up with REPREVE to incorporate one recycled plastic water bottle in every waistband, meaning one less bottle in a landfill. Forty billion plastic water bottles are dumped into U.S. landfills each year, and each bottle takes 700 years to decompose. But by recycling a water bottle into every waistband, Marc Skid is helping to reduce the impacts of plastic pollution worldwide.
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Our brand is also working toward its mission to give back by donating $4 from each purchase to a Charity Navigator Four Star Charity. Each purchase provides customers the opportunity to donate to one of nine partnered charities: Action Against Hunger, Amazon Conservation Association, Carbon Fund, Catholic Medical Mission Board, Concern Foundation, feedONE, Project C.U.R.E., The Hunger Project and Water.org.
Research has suggested that Millennials — the most socially conscious generation yet — seek choices when it comes to donating, so when developing charity partnerships, we wanted to offer Marc Skid’s customers the opportunity to develop a personal connection with a specific cause. Each charity has a 4/4 star rating on Charity Navigator; providing options when donating puts customers in charge of their donations, letting them choose how to “Make their Marc” on the world.
For example, the purchase of green underwear supports feeding people in need around the world, allowing customers to donate to Action Against Hunger, feedONE or The Hunger Project. Buying blue supports helping the environment by donating to Amazon Conservation Association, Carbon Fund or Water.org. The purchase of a red pair promotes curing the world, letting customers donate to Catholic Medical Mission Board, Concern Foundation or Project C.U.R.E. Customers also have the opportunity to buy a white pair and choose any of the nine partnered charities.
So far, Marc Skid has raised more than $550 in charitable donations, and we’re just getting started. Moving forward, we hope to inspire the entire world to use their buying power to “Make your Marc on the World.”
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Published Nov 23, 2017 6pm EST / 3pm PST / 11pm GMT / 12am CET