Toronto Star article excerpt on JUT: My next purchase of yoga clothing will be at Jut (2580 Yonge St.), where local entrepreneur Derrick Chow sells his own brand of locally designed and manufactured sportswear that can go from the yoga studio to the café, and even out at night. The stretchy capris, tank tops and jackets are both beautiful and functional, but the best part of the story is that Chow, who gave up his job as a Bay St. investment banker to start his company, gives 5 per cent of his total sales to non-profit organizations that benefit children in Toronto, India and Africa. He says most corporations give about 1 per cent of their net profits. Chow who has deferred his acceptance to a master's degree in public policy from Harvard, gives his own time and energy as a consultant to the non-profits, to help them achieve social change. He creates awareness in his 1,100 square-foot store at Yonge and Eglinton, which opened earlier this summer, by providing an Internet terminal and encouraging customers to surf for information about the non-profits Jut supports. Eventually, Chow plans to allow customers to select the specific organization they would like to support through their purchase. "The research we've done by talking to people
says that they don't feel they have enough information about how
their money is used when they donate. We're trying to build in that
element so there's no excuse not to give. This is a pain-free way
to get involved." "We're a Robin Hood brand," says Chow. "We sell clothing where people can spend money, and donate where people can't spend money.... We have international aspirations, and we want to be the beacon that others will follow. Imagine if every start-up put into their business plan how to help social entrepreneurs. Imagine where we would be if it wasn't just an afterthought or a marketing gimmick, if it was actually the essence of the business." Sounds like good karma to me. |
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