Sustainable purse company uses fashion to save forests.

Debra Denniston and her daughters Rachel and Kate run a sustainable fashion line of purses, Hipsters for Sisters, in their home city of Los Angeles, California. Honoring the company’s mission to “take into consideration not only design, but also the health and welfare of our planet,” the Dennistons have decided to donate a percentage of their online sales to Rainforest Trust. In only two months, the women were able to help save over 300 acres of Sumatran rainforest.

“We’re so happy to have discovered this wonderful organization that matches our passion for protecting our planet’s resources and the conservation of wildlife,” said Debra. “We love the fact that 100 percent of our donation goes directly to saving acres.”

After many years of lugging around heavy handbags, Debra decided to channel her love of the fanny pack and its functionality to inspire a revolution that would also give voice to her concerns for the environment.

“We honor our responsibility to protect the earth and its resources,” said Debra. “We make it our goal to source only the most innovative and earth-friendly materials available for our bags, which means we do not use leather, skins, fur or PVC (polyvinyl chloride) in any of our products.”

Hipsters for Sisters regularly donates five percent of online sales to various nonprofits, and originally added Rainforest Trust as one of the temporary special projects that they support. Once they saw how their donations made a positive impact in Sumatra, the team decided to make their support more consistent.

The Sumatran jungle is particularly at risk due to the spread of rubber, paper and oil palm plantations that cause deforestation and directly compete for land needed by endangered wildlife such as Sumatran Elephants and Sumatran Orangutans. Rainforest Trust is working with a local partner to help protect critical areas of this threatened land.

“We were so happy to see, in such a tangible way, how much good we can do partnering with Rainforest Trust that we decided to make it one of our permanent primary charitable organizations,” said Debra.

With the support of friends like Hipsters for Sisters, Rainforest Trust can help protect areas like Sumatra and the diverse wildlife they hold.

Visit their website at www.hipstersforsisters.com.