Rise Up the boutique was the brainchild of a few people interested in developing pathways for people to rise up out of poverty. Two of those “brainiacs” were Jesse and Maria Roberts who are the creators and driving force behind Rise Up International, a non profit organization dedicated to helping children Rise Up from poverty by supporting free educational centers, art schools and drug rehabilitation projects in Nicaragua, China, and India. In the near future, Phoenix, Arizona, USA will be added to those more distant locations.
Rise Up International began designing a clothing line because “fashion can fight poverty” and, according to Jesse, “A lot of people don’t want to sponsor an orphan, but everyone buys clothes.”
The Rise Up boutique is into street art, pulp posters, revolution, and the 80’s, to name a few. Our demographic is everyone: indie kids, hip hop kids, nerds, jocks, fashionistas, children, parents, and anyone else who wants to make a difference in the world and look good while doing it. Rise Up the boutiques contributes 10 percent of what it sells to the cause fighting poverty through fashion and art.
The Rise Up Boutique sells men’s and women’s tee shirts and hoodies with artful graphics and phrases that encourage peace, outreach, and service to the larger community. Rise Up also carries quality denim, women’s tops and dresses, hats, and sunglasses in addition to unique jewelry and artwork by local artists. Along with designs by Rise Up International, the store has clothing and accessories from other socially conscience brands like OBEY and Grn Apple Tree as well as TOM’S Shoes, where with every pair of shoes you buy, they give a pair to a child in need. The boutique is also stocked with other high-end product from Insight, Quail, and Sabre Vision.
Rise Up is both a call to revolt and to elevate. It’s a revolutionary pull on those of us who are privileged to “rise up” and make a difference in the world by not settling for comfort but instead helping others elevate and empower themselves out of poverty.
