GUESS, Celebrities Make Fashion Statement Against Domestic Violence

NEW YORK, NY, October 07, 2010 (Press-News.org) During a time when State funding for social service programs is at permanent risk of the chopping block, iconic fashion brand GUESS, Inc. is wearing corporate consciousness on its sleeve, or in this case, in the center of a special edition T-shirt it created to benefit Sojourn Services for Battered Women and Their Children, the domestic violence project of Los Angeles-based social services agency, OPCC. In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness month, the T-shirts will become available in October at select California and Las Vegas GUESS retail locations, as well as online at http://www.guess.com.

The women's T-shirt, $24, features words of inspiration drafted by Ella Marciano, 16, daughter of GUESS CEO and Vice-Chairman Paul Marciano and Kymberly Marciano-Strauss. The words Hope, Love, Courage, Strength, Community and Empower are designed to create a graphic in the shape of a heart - symbolizing love, and penned in purple, the official color of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

"Sojourn is deeply grateful to GUESS for putting the spotlight on the domestic violence crisis in this remarkable way," says Sojourn Director Pat Butler. "Due to the recent State budget cuts to domestic violence funding, a number of shelters in California have closed, and Sojourn's services are being stretched further than ever before. This terrific campaign by GUESS, spearheaded by Kymberly and Ella Marciano, will bring considerable attention to our cause and help Sojourn continue to save the lives of women and children."

Sojourn, named for Sojourner Truth, the abolitionist and women's rights activist, was founded in 1977 as an extension of OPCC, when the homeless services agency identified a direct correlation between homelessness and domestic violence. "Recognizing the inordinately high incidence of domestic violence among homeless women was definitely an aha! moment," says John Maceri, Executive Director of OPCC. "Starting an integrated program for women in crisis and their children seemed like a natural extension of OPCC's mission to empower disenfranchised populations toward a life of self-sufficiency."

Today, more than 30 years later, Sojourn is among the largest of OPCC's ten projects, employing 16 full-time staff members to manage its shelters, a 24-hour crisis hotline, support services, and community education and outreach.

The partnership between GUESS and Sojourn came about when actress and Sojourn supporter, Vanessa Marcil, introduced her longtime friend Kymberly to the organization. Kymberly wanted to expand her philanthropic focus to include battered women and their children and saw the alliance with Sojourn as an opportunity to empower Ella to make a difference.

The T-shirt will debut October 13th at an exclusive launch event at GUESS' Hollywood & Highland store, organized in concert with Sojourn's volunteer resource board, and co-hosted by Marcil along with fitness guru and "Biggest Loser" trainer, Jillian Michaels.

About Sojourn and OPCC

Founded in 1977, Sojourn Services For Battered Women And Their Children, a dedicated domestic violence project of the larger not-for-profit agency OPCC, operates the second-oldest crisis center in the state and is considered to be one of the foremost shelter-based victim service providers in all of California. Additionally, it is the only service provider of its kind on the Westside of Los Angeles County. OPCC is a Santa Monica-based social services agency consisting of multiple housing programs and services for low-income and homeless populations. Founded in 1963, OPCC is a community-supported organization in which staff, volunteers and clients work together with mutual respect to address the effects of poverty, abuse, neglect and discrimination. OPCC empowers people to rebuild their lives by providing a continuum of care for the most marginalized men, women and children in crisis - from emergency and transitional shelters and permanent supportive housing options to mental health services and empowerment programs designed to meet the clients wherever they are on their path to self-sufficiency.

About GUESS?, Inc.

Established in 1981, GUESS began as a jeans company and has since successfully grown into a global lifestyle brand. Today, GUESS designs, markets and distributes full collections of women's, men's and children's apparel as well as accessories. Throughout the years, the GUESS image has been portrayed in unforgettable, innovative campaigns that have made the brand a household name. GUESS is distributed throughout the United States and Canada in fine department stores, its retail specialty and factory stores, and domestically on its online stores. GUESS has licensees and distributors in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. In addition to shopping online, you can find more information on GUESS at http://www.guess.com.

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Colette Brooks, Big Imagination Group

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