WE KNOW THAT WITH GREAT SHIRTS COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
And we want you to know that by choosing to buy from Kenny Flowers, you’re fueling a small, family business that gives back every step of the way.
Giving is in our nature. At just 16 years old, our founder Kenny Haisfield created a nonprofit foundation to send underprivileged teenagers to college in Indonesia with his best friend (and best man in his wedding). The duo and their foundation CEO4Teens (Creating Educational Opportunities for Teenagers) have been responsible for not only helping to start Campuhan College in Bali, Indonesia, but also providing the financial backing for the tuition of more than 150 students’ education and counting.
Our Commitment to Education
Campuhan College, Bali, Indonesia
Kenny plays an active, on-the-ground, instrumental role in cultivating the leadership, English, and computer skills of these
students, and has found ways to weave in his leadership role in his nonprofit with Kenny Flowers in many ways, such as employing the help of
students in the designing of some of Kenny Flowers’ best shirts. The culture of Bali is very artistic, and we love that Kenny Flowers can help cultivate, and highlight, that artistic and creative nature.
Within the USA
We believe no individual should be denied the opportunity to get a practical education due to economic restrictions and we aim to knock down the barriers preventing motivated, hard-working young adults from reaching their educational, career and life goals, by enabling them to get the education they deserve within the US as well.
Kenny and CEO4Teens currently help underprivileged young adults in America obtain their GEDs. Since 2015, we have awarded over 100
scholarships to cover GED exam fees and help deserving young men and women receive their high school diploma equivalency. By removing this major financial hurdle, we’re able to give those that deserve it a second chance to achieve their dreams and advance their careers. We’re determined to expand our education-focused efforts in the states and help further improve economic opportunities where they are needed.
OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY
Aside from CEO4Teens, there are many other causes very close to our hearts here at Kenny Flowers, such as sustainability. We are actively and constantly looking for new and innovative ways to make our business more sustainable, and are currently utilizing compostable package mailers, as well as limiting our use of earth-unfriendly materials throughout the supply chain of Kenny Flowers wherever possible.
Rayon, the fabric that most of our clothing is made from, is one of the most sustainable fabrics on the spectrum of clothing - Rayon is made from cellulose derived from plants like trees, bamboo, and even cotton waste. We choose to use sustainable coconut buttons on all of our clothes, rather than plastic buttons. We are also in the process of offering 100% organic rayon to use in our shirts, and are always actively looking for more eco-friendly options for our clothes and dyes that don’t sacrifice the fabric quality and breezy softness we all love in KF.
As far as fabric scraps go, we work with an extremely talented hand-cut-and-sew team in Bali, Indonesia, who avoid as much fabric waste as possible. When fabric scraps aren’t used, they are turned into face masks, dog bandanas, donatable items, or simply used in the garden of our factory manager (no, seriously, he uses Flowers scraps to tie his plants and help his own flowers grow).
Our commitment to who we work with worldwide
We’re all about work-life balance across the board (yours, ours, and everyone involved in making the KF clothes you run wild in) and love creating in places that:
- You want to vacation
- We want to work from
- Are made by workers who are treated well and living right
Bali and Colombia both fit that criteria perfectly, so we wanted to shine some light on the operations.
Every KF shirt, kimono, coverup, dogdana, mask we make hails from Bali. Yep - you’re wearing a little piece of paradise when you kick it in a KF design. When we started in 2015, we explored the entire island and discovered this group of talented young artisans who have been crafting every KF shirt and coverup ever since. It’s a hand-cut, hands-on process that results in the island-ready looks you know and love - and we’re so happy to now be providing reliable work to 30+ families and supporting a community we feel so connected to in Bali.
When you order Kenny Flowers swimwear, you’re doing more than just nabbing a chic, top-of-the-line pair of trunks or swimsuit - you’re also supporting the incredible workforce of women that brings these pieces to life. Our women-run boutique factory in Medellin, Colombia prides themselves on the intricate work they do for the KF brand. These women have the best energy and work ethic during the week (and love to chill out in pueblos on the weekend). You can rest easy knowing that when you buy Kenny Flowers, you’re not just supporting us as risk-taking, island-hopping entrepreneurs, you’re supporting sustainable practices and a brilliant group of ladies who teach us something new every time we visit. (Si, we’re working on our spanish)
It’s not just about giveback and sustainability efforts to us - we also ensure that doing good is weaved into every thread of the business. We take pride in the factories we work with and how we continuously invest in their success - helping our factory in Bali grow from just a few people to now providing reliable work that allows 30+ artisans the ability to support their families, and helping our factory in Colombia survive the pandemic and government shutdown. From sponsored lunches in the factory, to bonuses before major local holidays, we’re committed to being a genuine business that wants to see our partners do well and be happy too.
Our commitment to
MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
We believe that our clothes can change the world. Because when you look good, you feel better - which is contagious to everyone around you. We believe that our customers are the lifestyle leaders the world needs and we’re here to make sure everyone can always feel great about putting on a Kenny Flowers product, from the inside out.
We are deeply committed to doing good, and doing better, every single step of our company journey, and we want you to know you can always trust us to be making a positive impact on the world.
The more clothing we sell, the bigger our opportunity to make a difference. As we continue to grow, our giving and community efforts will continue to grow right alongside us.
RISING TO THE OCCASION
As a small business, we’re always ready to make a big difference. Early April, in wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, we pivoted our factory in Bali overnight and went on a mask mission - sustainably creating non-medical lifestyle masks with the leftover, unused fabric from our spring/summer collections, allowing us to protect our customers and citizens of the world, with the powerful KF prints/design that brighten everyone’s day (even if you can’t see their smile under the masks). Since then, we’ve donated nearly 20,000 masks to those in need and more than $10,000 to Direct Relief, a non-profit organization providing medical-grade equipment to those on the frontlines. You can read more aboutour response to Covid-19 here, and the #KFMaskMission here.
ONE FINAL NOTE FROM KENNY
We never wanted our corporate social responsibility here at Kenny Flowers to be in the spotlight. Doing good and giving back to our communities around the world is so core to us as people and what we do as a business, but we have always believed the highest good you can do is the good that doesn’t need recognition. We honestly can’t stand when brands turn social causes into cause-marketing, and we don’t want to have to tell you what we’re doing to make the world a better place. That being said, we also realize many of you don’t know us personally (yet! Shoot us a message and introduce yourself!) and may need a little background on the causes that are so near and dear to our hearts. We share what we do not to boast or market it but to hopefully inspire you to find ways to incorporate doing good into your own lives. We want you to trust that our intentions are always in the best place as a growing business, and you can trust us to always be actively working around the clock to not only make a difference in your wardrobe, but make a difference in the world.
“Feeling good and doing good go hand-in-hand for me. I’ve always been a believer that doing good shouldn’t be looked at as a burden, but something that’s incorporated into your daily life and routine.”
– Kenny, Founder of Kenny Flowers
