Cotton On Foundation GM, Tim Diamond, talks philanthropy at VAMFF
17th March, 2017
On Wednesday 15th March, Cotton On Foundation General Manager Tim Diamond joined a host of fashion industry experts for Melbourne Fashion Festival’s annual Fashion Industry Forum.
Set in the iconic Melbourne Museum, the forum explored the ever-important theme of Morals, ethics and sustainability with purpose: Why creative industries and their customers should care.
Tim, who back in 2007 was tasked with the role of establishing the Cotton On Foundation, addressed the audience on the topic of Philanthropy and retail: Why a culture of caring connects with customers – something close to the heart of the Cotton On Group.
As the lifeblood of the Group and a personal passion of many team members, the Cotton On Foundation focuses on empowering youth globally through quality education, as a means of helping vulnerable communities break the cycle of poverty and build sustainable futures. They are being recognized among the retail industry for their efforts in contributing and are proud to play their part in making a positive impact on the world.
Speaking to a room of 80 people, Tim’s presentation explored the importance of engaging socially-conscious customers by giving them the opportunity to personally champion change and help make a difference.
The Cotton Foundation’s customers are largely purpose-driven millennials, and the organization provides a platform to facilitate this group’s desire to give back, by funding their projects through the sale of everyday items such as bottled water, mints and tote bags in Cotton On Group stores around the world.
These items not only have a price tag which is in line with their customers’ budgets and lifestyles but 100 per cent of the proceeds go towards the Cotton On Foundation’s work globally.
Over the last decade, the Cotton On Foundation has raised just shy of $60 million through the support of its customers and team members and is well on its way to achieving its mission of creating 20,000 educational places globally by 2020.
Hosted by Damien Woolnough from 9 Honey, the Fashion Industry Forum also played host to journalist, Patty Huntington, financier Aneka Manners and designer Lois Hazel.
For more information on the Cotton On Foundation visit www.cottononfoundation.org.
The ‘Road to 10,000’ is an internal Cotton On Group initiative giving the Cotton On Foundation’s most passionate advocates around the world an opportunity to personally engage with the people and community of Mannya, Southern Uganda, where the Foundation’s work began 10 years ago. This exciting effort is part of the organization’s important target of developing 10,000 educational places by 2017 – a major step towards achieving 20,000 by 2020. Check out this video to learn more.