History in Fashion
Tuesday June 30, 2009 | Contributor: Jennifer Wright

“We are the world. We are the children,” could be the theme song for the charity History Starts Now, founded by Kristina Lee Grandstaff and Rachael Ann Lechliter. This past week, they hosted Fashion Gives Back, a fashion-show benefit to raise money and awareness about the sale of children as sex slaves.





The charity, less than a year old, is dedicated to ending child trafficking in the United States within our generation. There are an estimated 2.5 million victims worldwide, over 10% of them here—10,000 in New York City alone. History Starts Now raises awareness with events tied to music, film, art and social networking, and they donate money to Strategic Global Initiatives, which funds special operatives to crack down on the predator side of sexual slavery.





While the organization has already hosted several charity events, both in New York and Washington, Grandstaff’s background in fashion made this evening particularly exciting for her. She has worked with MAC Cosmetics, Sean John, Estee Lauder and Tom Ford, claiming (as a fashion insider) that she has accumulated enough material to “write the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada.”





The benefit featured the exciting new Brooklyn designer Suzanne Raye making her runway debut courtesy of Grandstaff and Lechliter. I loved the classical lines of her ready-to-wear pieces and was excited to learn that she sells at Legacy in SoHo. She hits the big leagues this September with her first show at Fashion Week. She’s definitely one to watch!





At the Stone Rose Lounge perched atop the Time Warner Center, guests took in the breathtaking views of Central Park while nibbling on warm Brie and caramelized pear crostini and signature mini-hamburgers. While we sipped cocktails including the Peartini and Guava Sin, we enjoyed the musical stylings of DJ Sean A. Wilson.





Clear Magazine, whose founder Emin Kadi is on the board of History Starts Now, sponsored the evening along with the shopping website Sheckys and the editorial makeup artist Sarah Appleby. Singer/songwriter Nathan Morris, a new ambassador for the organization, spoke briefly about the staggering number of people throughout the world affected by child trafficking. He encouraged everyone to get involved with History Starts Now. It was a message deeply felt by everyone there.