Brandeis Alumni, Family and Friends
Apparel and Accessories
Featured Gift Ideas
Bird + Stone
When you don an artfully and ethically made bracelet or necklace from Bird + Stone, you show the world where you stand. Founder and CEO Elana Reinholtz ’11 believes in advancing progressive social causes through business, so at least 10% of each purchase gets donated to a change-making organization. The Black Lives Matter collection, for instance, has already raised more than $50,000 for racial-justice organizations. Bracelets from $22. (Use BRANDEIS20 for 20% off.)
Enda
This firm’s shoes won’t guarantee you’ll break any records at the Boston Marathon, but at least you’ll be training like the elite runners. Weldon Kennedy ’06 worked with Kenyan athletes to design the first high-performance athletic shoes made in Africa. The majority of the company’s shares are owned by Kenyan shareholders. From $120.
More Apparel and Accessories
Harnessing the odor-neutralizing properties of hemp flower extract, the fusion / FACE MASK from Hemp Black, where Alastair Bor ’94 is CIO, is a cloth covering strategically engineered through 3D multilayer technology and features a copper-infused antimicrobial exterior. $24.95. (Use code BRANDEIS20 for 20% off masks and gaiters.)
IM.PW.HER, founded by Azra Qizilbash ’09, is all about empowering women, one shirt at a time. This all-inclusive brand is rooted in the belief that it takes all genders collectively to lift women up. A part of the Female Founder Collective. $15 - $75.
Owner and designer Agne Kurutyte, MA’05, travels the world to offer high-quality, versatile and easy-care knitwear made from only the best organic, eco-friendly Italian yarns. Most pieces are hand-loomed using domestic knitting machines or hand-crafted with needles by knitters in Lithuania, Belgium and Azerbaijan. $40-$160. (Use code 50OFF for 50% off your first purchase.)
“Mommy and Me” matching legging sets from Rachael Grad ’99 make great gifts for moms, children, babies and grandmothers. The 100% Canadian and eco-friendly leggings are perfect for women who are artistic, creative and environmentally-conscious. Original artwork printed on Canadian-made luxury fabric and then hand sewn in Canada. Available in adult, youth and baby sizes so the whole family can match. $20 - $120.
Give a gift that means something.This non-profit organization, led by executive director Katherine Kolios ’12, partners with rural and nomadic communities in Niger to produce beautiful handmade jewelry and crafts, and enable enduring livelihoods. Items include silverwork by Tuareg craftsmen, embroidery by Wobaabe craftswomen, and more. Each piece is unique. $8 - $280.
The wearer becomes the artwork with hand-loomed knitted clothing and accessories from artist and designer Robin Bergman ’77. A former textile conservator at the Gardner Museum and a former painter, Bergman artfully combines color, pattern, luxury yarns and natural fibers to create pieces that are inspired by oriental rugs, and vintage and antique textiles. $120 - $1,200.
Using tiny glass beads, pearls, semi-precious stones and even found objects, Theodora (Teddi) Fine ’70 creates jewelry and Judaica with love and a touch of whimsy. Her product line includes neck pieces, earbobs, brooches and wristlets, as well as collector-quality mezuzahs, dreidels and yarmulkes designed with a similar aesthetic. “Tallit tamers” keep delicate silk tallitot on the shoulders using magnets, not clips, and convert to bracelets when not used in synagogue. $60-$3,000.
For the Phish fan in your life, look no further than the OhKeePah, the Fishman Donut yarmulka from Whole Phamily, founded by Rachel Loonin Steinerman ’94 (the Phunky Balabusta). It comes in three sizes, some with built-in clips. $20. (Use code WALTHAMREADTHEBOOK for 20% off.)