Fashion Designer Takes Corporate Social Responsibility to a New Level Through the Streets of Rwanda

New York, NY June 5, 2017 – Bluesuits LLC, The Luxury Brand women’s business-wear is partnering with MindLeaps to raise funds to rescue street children in Rwanda. From June 5, 2017 to December 31, 2017, Bluesuits LLC will donate 5% of all sales to MindLeaps.

Jamak Kharza, fashion designer and founder of Bluesuits LLC, dresses professional women and high-net-worth women CEOs. Now, she is giving new meaning to “high fashion” by helping some of the poorest kids in the world.
The arts have always held a special place for Kharza, who holds a Masters degree in Piano Performance from University of Illinois and an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School. Her work in fashion started when she was just 15 years old in Tehran, Iran. In 1985, she started Bluesuits in New York City to address the wardrobe needs of professional women. While at Columbia Business School, Khazra was a finalist in the Greenhouse Lang Fund. She chose to work on Wall Street with UBS Warburg in equity research while keeping Bluesuits operational. It was her clients that made Khazra leave Wall Street and pursue her passion in helping women build a sustainable, professional wardrobe.
MindLeaps founder Rebecca Davis met Kharza in New York City. Davis had been running MindLeaps in Rwanda, Guinea and Bosnia-Herzegovina since 2011. Leveraging her own business degree and passion for the arts, Davis worked with educators to develop a dance-based methodology to help street children develop the cognitive skills they need to go to school.
“I believe that we can change the world though arts and music, and I am honored to have the opportunity to help raise funds for MindLeaps,” said Khazra. “Rebecca, through MindLeaps, is literally lifting children out of sewers and transitioning them into school through dance. MindLeaps is a grassroots non-profit. They don’t have easy access to large foundation funding or government support. They work with local staff on a shoestring budget.”
Davis was thrilled to hear that Bluesuits will be donating 5% of all sales to MindLeaps’ school fund. “Today, more than ever, MindLeaps is looking for individuals and businesses who can find it in their hearts to support street children. Proceeds from Bluesuits sales will help us enroll youth in school, which leads to employment and a way off the streets.”
Please join Bluesuits to change the lives of vulnerable children. Visit: http://www.bluesuitsonline.com. 5% percent of all purchases will go directly to MindLeaps’ school fund.
Or: Make an Appointment online to visit Bluesuits or call 212-787-0278 for an appointment.
About Bluesuits Bluesuits Collection is a collection of ready-made as well as custom-tailored sportswear co-ordinates designed for professional women. Bluesuits Collection is designed and produced in New York City.
About MindLeaps: MindLeaps is a 501(c)3 organization based in the United States and working in post-conflict countries to permanently decrease the number of out-of-school children. MindLeaps combines a dance program to improve cognitive development with vocational training to prepare youth for a stable life in school or in the workplace. www.mindleaps.org For More Information: Jamak Kharza (Bluesuits) – 212-787-0278 or sales@bluesuitsonline.com Eleanor Milburn (MindLeaps) – 646 902 1295 or eleanor@mindleaps.org

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The Wall Street Journal

In The News

Fashion Columnist and News Editor Christina Binkley of The Wall Street Journal Talks to Jamak Khazra, Founder and Designer of Bluesuits Collection about when and where it is appropriate to go sleeveless

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The Wall Street Journal

ON STYLE

The Unwritten Rules on Going Sleeveless Designers love bare-armed looks, yet many women are self-conscious; when to go for it
By Christina Binkley Updated July 13, 2016 2:48 p.m. ET
Going sleeveless can be a surprisingly controversial decision. The bare-armed look is everywhere these days, on women of every age and size. Stores are overflowing with tank sheaths and other shoulder-baring tops and dresses. Yet the rules of when to bare your arms aren't clear. Women who do it are sometimes criticized if they are deemed too old or their arms too flabby. Such judgments leave many women feeling self-conscious. Sleeveless is the predominant look in dresses and tops for summer and a favorite of designers. But more women are wondering about the unwritten rules of going sleeveless. WSJ's Christina Binkley joins Tanya Rivero to discuss. Photo: Caitlin Ochs for The Wall Street Journal Apparel labels and retailers are keenly aware of women's desire for sleeves. Women have swamped Apprécier.com, a fashion site that caters to mature women, with requests for more tops and dresses with sleeves, says co-founder Cynthia Weber-Cleary. "We should just name our site Sleeves.com and we'd make a fortune,"she says. Outside the Vatican, few workplaces still have formal rules about sleeves, other than banning spaghetti straps and strapless tops. Yet even though society has dropped other longtime fashion conventions, from hosiery to neckties, bare-arm phobia hangs on. Men face it, too: They go sleeveless only at the most casual of places or for athletic activities—and not even at most golf courses. Author and television personality Moll Anderson says she flouts other old-fashioned rules her mother taught her, such as one that she should cut her hair short after marrying and having a baby. And in principle, she believes in the right to bare arms. "If you're comfortable in your own skin, you should wear it. I don't care if you're 90 years old," she says. But she started to feel self-conscious about her arms two years ago, and began covering them up. "I'm going to be 57 this year,' she says. "Sometimes the judgment is so harsh." Michaela Jedinak, founder and designer of an eponymous British label that caters to women in finance and politics, says she carries only two sleeveless dresses because most of her clients prefer short sleeves. Ms. Jedinak says sleeves help to create a more balanced look that is perceived as stronger and more professional. Jamak Khazra, founder and designer of Blue Suits, a custom label that caters to executive women and socialites, says going sleeveless is more of a concern for her American clients than Europeans. Even young professionals worry, she says. Women in their 20s and 30s are more likely to reject these rules. Marianne Kirby, a 38-year-old blogger and social critic in Alexandria, Va., penned a treatise in favor of going sleeveless at any size. She says she considers herself "indisputably fat" but goes sleeveless without qualms. "We all want Michelle Obama 's arms," she says, referring to the first lady's famously toned limbs. But she says she rejects "all sorts of rules about controlling women's appearance." Ms. Kirby does use a rule of “three pieces make an outfit." Adding a scarf or statement necklace, for instance, can take the focus off your arms when you're wearing a sleeveless top. This is one area where personal preference can rule. The long-armed look of sleeveless can be more flattering than some short sleeves. But sleeveless tops and dresses require excellent fit. Too big an armhole can reveal undergarments, while too tight a fit looks awkward and is uncomfortable. A sleeveless sheath or top worn under a jacket or sweater is wonderfully flexible, offering warmth in frigid air conditioning, as well as armor for that moment when the boss steps in for an impromptu chat. Switch the jacket for a shawl, and you've gone day-into-evening, when many people feel more relaxed about going sleeveless even with professional colleagues. Ms. Khazra notes that it's never too late to go bare. She notices that her clients get freer about bare shoulders as they get older. "My clients past 60, they keep the jacket on," she says. But "past 75 or 80—they go sleeveless at galas. At that age they want to be free of all these thoughts."
The Wall Street Journal

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Bluesuits got a shout out today on CNBC by Jane Wells. We are thrilled. At a time when many manufacturers are trying to cut costs by using less expensive fabrics, trim and production practices, Bluesuits is doing just the opposite and raising the bar by introducing more luxurious fabrics and trims and even better constructed jackets in our Fall Collection.


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Deborah Duncan of Great Day Houston Talks to Jamak Khazra

Deborah Duncan of Great Day Houston in Bluesuits Tropical wool Long Jacket and Fly-Front Pants Jamak Khazra, Founder/ Bluesuits in Bluesuits short round neck jacke

Deborah Duncan of Great Day Houston Talks to Jamak Khazra

View selections of Bluesuits Collection designed by Iranian Fashion Designer Jamak Khazra as seen on Debra Duncan Show, Great Day Houston including Women's business suits, pantsuits, summer dresses, long skirts, evening suits,faux fur coat, skirt suit and business dress for women.



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