First Lady Michelle Obama Joins Project Runway Junior for Fashion Challenge to Help Let Girls Learn

The winner got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a design for Lands' End inspired by the goal of helping girls go to school worldwide

From the LifeMinute Team

December 14, 2015

The fashion community has come together to support the President and First Lady's initiative to help the 62 million young girls around the globe who lack an education. Project Runway Junior latest challenge aims to support Let Girls Learn, which works to help educate girls and change their lives and communities

"We're at the Lands' End pop up shop here on 5th avenue and we're having a celebration for Lands' End and for the Let Girls Learn cause," says Project Runway Junior Co-Host, Tim Gunn.

Let Girls Learn is a Government wide initiative in collaboration with the Peace Corps.

"We want to see the number of girls who are in school and staying in school rise," says Tonia Wellons, Head of Partnerships, Peace Corps, "We want to see the ability for them to change the trajectory of their families' lives increase."

The episode began with an introduction by Mrs. Obama herself, introducing the Project Runway's Junior's Backpack Challenge.

The winner of that challenge 15- year old Peytie Slater from California received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create this backpack with the folks from Lands' End. Her design was inspired by a global mosaic of the world map, it's called the global classmate and it's now being sold on LandsEnd.com.

"You know I love giving back to the world it's something that's like really important to me," say Peytie, "I made up this print and the idea behind it is that there are like different countries and continents mixing and that represents people helping people you know cultures mixing, races mixing."

Lands' End CEO Frederica Marchionni feels the design was perfect for the company. "My mission is to evolve this company into a meaningful global lifestyle brand and this was the perfect match between a meaningful initiative and education," she explains.

"For a retailer to step up and accept this cause and lead it is.... it's touching it's wonderful, it fills my heart," remarks Gunn, "I'm grateful to Lands' End for being a trailblazer and making such a profound mark.

You can help too visit landsend.com/letgirlslearn to see how.

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