January 20, 2012
2:35 am

posted by
Tamsin Smith

“Everything indicates – the smallest does, and the largest does…”

excerpts from Walt Whitman’s Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

Ahoy! What a week I’ve had. Whitman provides the refrain for a string of days, rich in parts that furnish themselves toward the soul. That would be my soul, certainly, but also the eternal human soul. At each turn, I’ve witnessed reminders that a common experience envelops us all. Our personal details may vary at the surface, but beneath it all, we are akin. We are pilgrims driven by the same rough quests and questions, dreams and dread, losses and longings, heroics and humbled awe. (Click “Read More”)

November 25, 2011
11:37 am

posted by
Tamsin Smith

Walt Whitman is by turns comforting and disturbing me today. It’s why I sought him out. I’m overdue for a good cage rattling. Time to tip myself sideways and reexamine the landscape.

So, I sent my soul out to loaf on the metaphorical grass with instructions to listen for the password primeval, knowing that footsteps of my mind and the beatings of my own heart are all that will sound. Sure enough, the echoes came from within. I caught my own thoughts dancing with words of wisdom from friends and relatives, and mixing with the lines of poems and songs that I carry like talismans. These collected scraps are the stories we tell ourselves. They are our master works, our personal legends. The secret lies in the listening. The gift is finding insight from both the spider’s silken whisper and the wind whistling through the web. (Click “Read More”)

November 16, 2011
1:26 am

posted by
Tamsin Smith

Adolescent girls are standing up and stepping out across California this month to make their voices heard, declaring “it’s not fair” that girls who share their dreams for the future don’t have equal access to opportunities in countries like Ethiopia, Malawi, Guatemala, and Liberia. This is not simply about protest, however, these girls insist that change is at hand. They should know. These Philanthro-Teens are the ones making it happen, girl by girl.

Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, brought their Unite for Girls Tour to San Francisco this week. Gathering at the global headquarters of Levi Strauss & Co., teens from across the Bay Area joined peers like actress Alexandra Dadarrio, singer Olivia Somerlyn and the Girls Project Girl Performance Collective, in rallying the local crowd to help create a world where all girls have the chance to be safe, healthy, educated, and ready to lead…. (Click “Read More”)

October 20, 2011
9:57 am

posted by
Tamsin Smith

Back at the start of (RED), I used to refer to our team, our partners, and our growing cadre of inspired consumers as “a crazy band of fearless warriors” for believing that simple items like t-shirts and iPods could help eliminate AIDS in Africa. (RED) has since raised roughly $175 million for women and children impacted by HIV/AIDS in Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Ghana, and Rwanda. Sometimes crazy and fearless is the only way to move the needle when the status quo is unacceptable. (Click “Read More”)

9:47 am

posted by
Tamsin Smith

Just another day and a half in Cape Town, then we move on to Zambia, in search of more products for OBene to bring to an American audience. Our mission is to delight you with desirable finds and give back 10 percent of the sales price for you to spend – invest rather – with the charity of your choosing. And why shouldn’t empowerment swing all ways? This is the democratization of beneficial buying. (Click “Read More”)

9:41 am

posted by
Tamsin Smith

OBene’s founders are getting along just fine traveling together. While we both have a deep connection to Africa and a strong history of building brands and engaging the public in support of causes, James is more keenly focused on digital media trends than on fabric weights, pintucks, and beadwork fashions. But we both love yoga, so in between excursions to visit design shops and artist studios in Cape Town, we’ve been practicing at a wonderful studio YogaLife. If you’re ever in Cape Town, looking for a place to play and reground, you’ll feel welcomed into their community. (Click “Read More”)

October 8, 2011
10:19 pm

posted by
Tamsin Smith

It’s Saturday, so I took a break from visiting design studios to marvel at the natural beauty of the Cape’s coastline and dive into the ocean. The waves at Muizenberg were fun – hip high, speedy, and constant. What better place to christen our new venture with the blessing of good stoke than …

October 7, 2011
4:01 pm

posted by
Tamsin Smith

What more perfect way to end our first day in Cape Town than a lovely dinner with New York-based fashion designer Tina Lutz. Like many other old friends and colleagues, Tina and her friend Barbara are here to help celebrate Desmond Tutu’s 80th birthday. Tina’s been traveling the world for the past several months, encountering beautiful design across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. So, it was a lot of fun talking about OBene’s plan to introduce just such marvels to shoppers in America, who are looking for products with a story, a soul, and a certain sensibility that sets them apart. And of course, in the cradle of democracy, we’ll be empowering OBene shoppers to designate at least 10 percent of every sale to their favorite charity. A collective win for global makers, American buyers, and charities across the globe. (Click “Read More”)

September 27, 2011
4:38 pm

posted by
Tamsin Smith

What does it mean to OBenify? We’re building the ship as we sail it. Want to come along on the voyage?

Let us entice you with some stirring visions. Image that you’ve entered a realm of discovered treasures, each one of which will intrigue and reward you at many levels. Beauty on the outside, character within, and the satisfaction that you can not only claim these unique and compelling objects for your own, but that you’ll be doing something good for the world in the process. Welcome to OBene.

We are creating OBene to be the marketplace where desire serves goodness. We are busily gathering unique offerings from artists, designers, makers, and brands across the globe. Very soon, we’ll share these stories and make these special items available for sale to American consumers. But here’s the sweet surprise – OBene will give at least 10% of the sales price to the charity of the buyer’s choice. (Click Read More)

September 9, 2011
6:12 pm

posted by
Tamsin Smith

Global design consultancy IDEO has long been at the forefront of fostering innovation for brands, organizations, and even governments. Their core customer, however, is always people. Human wants, human needs, and human nature sit at the center of the firm’s approach, as they look for fresh ways to bring creative concepts to life. So, I’m thrilled to see them turn their eyes to the non-profit sector in a more direct and dedicated way with the launch of IDEO.org. In focusing on global poverty, IDEO.org has chosen a target in the social space that is broad and deep enough to keep their innovation experts very busy. Their first fellowship class meets this week, and I have the honor of speaking to the group.
My fellow panelists and I have been challenged to illustrate “What Good Looks Like” with three examples of innovative solutions from non-profits, foundations, or social enterprises. There are plenty of excellent examples out there, but I plan to focus on three that I know well: one Product Innovation, one Model Innovation, and one Ethos Innovation. (Click “Read More”)