Charity Denim, Kappa Alpha Theta Raise $1,900

On Saturday afternoon, scores of females, umbrellas in hand, paraded over slushy cobblestone and braved the wintry mix to line up for a chance to shop at Kappa Alpha Theta’s first ever Charity Denim sale.

The event, hosted at the Sigma Chi house on Mass. Ave., raised $1,900 for The National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association, Theta’s national philanthropy. With over 900 programs in operation, CASA appoints nearly 70,000 trained community volunteers to speak for abused and neglected children in court.

Theta colloborated with the national company Charity Denim to orchestrate the event. Company representatives arrived at 9 a.m. with nearly 800 pairs of jeans to be sold at a 40 to 60 percent discount. The jeans, which normally go for $140-$180, are purchased at close-out designer sales and then resold for $70-$85, and 10 percent of the profits go towards the sorority’s national charitable organization of choice.

With such popular and trendy brands as Citizens of Humanity, Seven for All Mankind, Blue Cult, and Sacred Blue, eager patrons lined the rainy sidewalk—as curious cars slowed down in wonder—for a chance to try their luck at obtaining the perfect jeans for the perfect price. And they weren’t just students.

Keri H. DiPietro, aunt of Theta member Julie M. Lamusta ’06, came in from “the burbs” —Lynnfield, Mass—hoping to score a pair of Sevens. DiPietro, who already owns three pairs, brought along her eight-year-old daughter for the adventure.

Upon entering the house—whose crowded atmosphere could be described as a cross between the annual Filene’s Basement wedding gown sale and a room party crashed by freshmen—DiPietro remarked, “You’d think they were giving ’em away!”

Theta President Sarah W. Currie ’06 stood by the register marking down which jeans were sold. Surveying the scene, she remarked with a laugh, “Considering the weather, the turnout’s a lot better than we expected.” Turnout was definitely high, driving some impatient shoppers to strip down to their underwear and try on jeans in a corner or dark hallway, rather than wait in line for the two green tents that constituted the changing room.

Claire M. Morenz, who handles close-out sales for Blue Cult and has been in business “for years,” called this a “super sale.” The stressed but highly energetic Morenz rapidly folded jeans and placed them on top of the frat house’s furnishings—a kegerator—in a nearly impossible effort to keep up with the clientele. She said the jeans are popular because “they are hand-made, authentic....the latest fashion in California, the highest product.”

According to Steven F. Price, President of Charity Denim, Blue Cult jeans, along with Citizens, were the most popular. Price, who co-founded the company last spring, said he could not have been happier with the sale. He had been in the denim business for about three-and-a-half years before starting Charity Denim, and he believes that the company is a logical conception because “sororities tend to be conscious about their clothes and are also very involved in philanthropy.”

With the average sorority denim sale raising about $1,500 for charity, Kappa Alpha Theta’s sales were impressive—raising a total of $1,900. Jessica A. Gonzalez ’06, vice president of external relations for Kappa Alpha Theta, said that they will probably hold a denim event again in the future.