Dec 17, 2015

Gift for Life Holiday Pop-Up Shop raises nearly $8,000

Gift for Life, the gift and home industries’ sole national charity, announced that a holiday pop-up shop created by the Retail Design Institute New York Chapter (RDI) raised nearly $8,000 for DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, Gift for Life’s sole beneficiary. Nearly 40 gift and home industry suppliers and designers donated products for sale in the Holiday Pop-Up Shop, December 2-6 in New York City.

The store concept was created by students from the Fashion Institute of Technology and LIM College as part of an annual “Iron Design” Student Challenge hosted by RDI. The winning design, selected for its incorporation of DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA)’s mission into a creative pop-up store concept and window display, was installed in the Stockman-Siegel Showroom and was open to the public for four days in early December.

“This collaboration with the Retail Design Institute offered our industry a creative new way to support the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Frank Joens, chair of the Gift for Life board. “We are delighted that so many of our industry’s top vendors donated products for resale through the Holiday Pop-Up Shop.”

A broad cross-section of gift and home industry suppliers donated products for sale: Arcadia Home, Areaware, Baccarat, Baggallini, Christophe Pourny, Culver Glasses, Cynthia Gale New York, Design Ideas, Design Memorabilia, Diane O’Donnel Contemporary Designs, diptyque Columbus Circle, Donghia, Edelman Leather, Gallery 91, Global Protection Corp., Gumball Poodle, Harry Barker, HomArt, Jonathan Adler, Kata Golda, Kenneth Cole, Kravet, LAFCO NY, Lenny & Eva, Lenox, Maileg North America, Marc Blackwell New York, Michael Aram, Photos.com by Getty Images, Pico Design, Robert Allen, Scout by Bungalow, Semaki & Bird, Silver Peacock, Solid Red Square, Spin Ceramics, Tory Burch, Trinky Things, Umbra Ltd., West Elm and Zolo Inc.

In addition to product donations, the following vendors donated supplies and fixtures: B+N, EGE, Designtex, Farrow & Ball, Manex USA, Media Nation, Tri-Kes and Visual Citi.

Each year, Gift for Life hosts events throughout the U.S. benefitting DIFFA. The primary mission of Gift for Life and DIFFA is to eradicate the AIDS pandemic in the U.S. Working together, Gift for Life and DIFFA will continue to raise funds for HIV/AIDS service and education programs.