"Picking a favorite bag would be like picking a favorite child," says Lauren Bush of her hunger-fighting totes for FEED. Luckily, no one has to choose, thanks to the FEED x The Gap Fashion's Night Out event, in celebration of the launch of FEED USA. Hosted by Lauren Bush, Patrick Robinson, and Angela Lindvall, the event will feature FEED USA's just-launched denim bags, alongside a range of carryalls, pouches, and bracelets. We caught up with FEED founder Lauren Bush to discuss how she came to her baby, the reason for a domestic focus, and the power of aesthetics.
ARIELLA GOGOL: How did you come to found and run FEED? How has the project changed?
LAUREN BUSH: The original FEED bag was an idea I had in 2005, as a way to raise money and awareness for the UN World Food Programme's School Feeding operation, which provides school meals for over 66 million children. After traveling with WFP as an Honorary Spokesperson, I decided that I really wanted to contribute in a tangible and meaningful way. I came up with the idea of a reusable bag that would feed one child in school for one year, and in 2007, I started FEED Projects, a company with the mission to create good products that help feed the world. With the help of my business partner Ellen Gustafson, who I met while she was working at WFP, FEED has provided over 60 million school meals for kids around the world!
GOGOL: How did FEED get hooked up with The Gap and Fashion's Night Out?
BUSH: We hooked up with The Gap because of their Americana heritage. For Fashion's Night Out, they've given us a little space attached to their flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Our FEED shop will be featuring our new FEED USA bags, alongside all of our FEED products. It is very exciting!
GOGOL: This is FEED's first US-focused initiative. What caused you to shift focus
from abroad efforts?
BUSH: The issues here are obviously different from the issues of chronic hunger and extreme poverty found in developing countries around the world, but we wanted to address the fact that kids were not getting nutritious school lunches here in America. FEED USA is a new line of products that will benefit an online platform to help get healthier school meals and better nutrition to kids in America. This online platform is a partnership between the FEED Foundation and DonorsChoose.org, and allows teachers to apply for things like salad bars, cooking class kits, and field trips to farms. These projects are then funded by individual donors and by the sale of our FEED USA bags.
GOGOL: What countries does FEED plan to reach out to next?
BUSH: We have plans to work with artisan groups in India, Columbia, and the DRC, and are creating a bag for Pakistan.
GOGOL: What has the process for conceptualizing the bags' designs been?
BUSH: The first FEED bag I designed was inspired by the stamped burlap bags of food rations I saw being distributed by the UN World Food Programme. I wanted to communicate the cause through the aesthetic of the bag, and have tried to keep this design philosophy consistent through all the FEED bags. We've diversified a bit from the burlap and organic cotton FEED 1 bag, and have now made a sporty backpack out of recycled nylon; artisan-made bags from traditional fabrics; and most recently, all-American denim FEED USA bags.
GOGOL: Where do you wear your FEED bag?
BUSH: I wear my FEED bags everywhere! I honestly have not left home without one
in over four years.
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