News

Ladies and Gentleman, on Saturday October 24, 2015 from 7pm-11pm at MADI headquarters (1659 Summit, KCMO) we will be hosting our first annual fundraiser, The Great Donate! This fundraiser is to help spread the word about our new 501c3 non-profit status of MADI Apparel's subsidiary, MADI Donations, INC. We'll also be doing some undie donating live at the event to our local partnered organizations!

Live and in person, we will be donating 50 pairs of underwear to all eight of our Kansas City partnered organizations! You heard it, that's 400 total pairs! And we could not be more excited!

Hope House, one of our Kansas City partnered organizations we will be donating to for the second time at The Great Donate fundraiser.

The event will be lots of fun, featuring live music, cocktails with KC Rieger Whiskey, Gin and Vodka, appetizers donated by Westside Local and Fevere Bread, an outdoor fall smore's bar and a silent auction!  Tickets are $25 with a $10 gift card to MADI Apparel included in the price of your ticket!  Fair Value of Benefits Received: $17.  $8 of ticket price may be claimed as a tax-deductible charitable contribution!  To purchase a ticket, click here: 

We will also be accepting charitable donations at the fundraiser (which are tax deductible)!  The donations will directly help survivors of domestic violence, survivors of rape, those affected by natural disaster, etc by funding additional production of underwear to be donated, out-of-state and abroad donation drop-off trips, and marketing/video PSAs to help raise awareness. This is a great way to be able to help women in need without buying underwear for yourself. 

Keep in mind, underwear is the most needed and most under-donated item of clothing as it lands on the "most urgent needs list" at most womens shelters across the country. Help us change that and Make a Difference in the lives of women across the street and around the world!

To buy your ticket head to Eventbrite:#TheGreatDonate

For more information about the fundraiser head to www.MADIdonations.com

A few pictures from other events at our headquarters and storefront location:

If you didn't already know, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and since here at MADI our mission is to donate a pair of underwear to women in need for every pair purchased, this month is very important to us. We want to bring as much awareness to domestic violence as possible and with that we want to make sure you all know how big of an issue domestic violence is and what you can do to help.

Here are just a few of the devastating statistics of domestic violence:

• Around 24 people every minute in the United States are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by their intimate partner.
• More than 1 in 3 women experience some form of domestic violence from their partner during their life.
• Domestic Violence is the third leading cause of homelessness.
• Every 2 out of 3 female murders are committed by their intimate partner.
• More than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes.

What can you do to help?

• If you suspect someone close to you has been or is being abused, kindly ask if you can help them find safety and shelter.
• Wear purple in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
• Donate to domestic violence shelters (especially underwear!). Most of them provide a needs list on their website.

• Buy a pair of MADI underwear because by doing that, you will be donating a pair to a woman in need.

Help us bring awareness to domestic violence and one day put an end to it!

To purchase tickets to our non-profit fundraiser, helping us raise additional funds for underwear donations and traveling to donation drop-offs, click here.

Fall weather has finally arrived (at least in Kansas City) and we could not be more excited! Time to swap out your tank tops for sweaters and your flip flops for boots! We're kicking off this fabulous fall season with a casual, comfy and easy look.

Our Pamela- Cheeky Brazilian underwear are the perfect base for this outfit. Over those, we're putting a pair of basic black leggings and an over sized cream sweater. We're topping off the outfit with basic brown riding boots, an adorable brown bucket bag and a simple pendant necklace! 

Where to find this #MADIstyle:

-Leggings: American Eagle Outfitters

-Sweater: SheIn

-Riding Boots: 6PM

-Purse: Ralph Lauren

-Necklace: Kendra Scott

Often times when people learn about domestic violence and domestic violence survivors, they ask the question "Why didn't you just leave?"

We're upping the amp this week with a "Girls Night Out" outfit! This outfit is the most perfect, simple and confidence building outfit to rock on the town with your girls.

The Diana-Wide Lace Thong is the perfect base for this outfit because they're sexy, sleek and comfortable! Pair them with your go-to little black dress, sexy heels, gold clutch and matching jewelry and you'll surely wow your girl friends and maybe even the guys! ;)

Where to find this #MADIstyle:

-Dress: Abercrombie

-Shoes: Singer22

-Clutch: Kate Spade

-Earrings: Kendra Scott

-Bracelet: Alex and Ani

Hello ladies! We are going to start posting an outfit of the week as a fun way to spark your fashion interests on hundreds of "out on the town" and "couch lounging" pieces you can pair with your MADIs!  It's simple!  We'll be your stylist, all you need to start with is one pair of MADI undies as your base :)!

This week, we're starting out casual.  We'll call this the "Casual Sunday" look - because it's certainly not a crime to still look cute while simply hanging out!

The Mimi-Modest Bikini style is perfect to pair with a pair of ripped up boyfriend jeans, a white tank, comfy shoes and simple jewelry. This is only one of several outfits you can pair these perfect undies with!

If you haven't already snagged a pair of these super comfy, classic and staple undies, click here and pick yourself up a pair!

On July 11th MADI Apparel held the Grande Ivory Affair celebrating the launch of our second color option, ivory! The event was a blast with music, drinks, appetizers and lots of panty shopping!

We have had many customers requesting ivory for bridal and bachelorette gifts and it really made perfect sense for us to offer it because MADI Apparel is focused on three words: simple, elegant and powerful. We want our colors and designs to reflect those three words, and now with the addition of ivory to our color options we believe we are! 

Our founder Hayley and Molly, the East Coast Distribution Lead, were presented the opportunity to travel to California and meet a domestic abuse survivor in the fall of 2014. The survivor had read about MADI’s buy one give one program and reached out to Hayley to see if she would donate underwear to her and her daughter.

Instead of just sending her underwear, Hayley and Molly decided to take the opportunity to fly from Florida to California to meet this awesome survivor. Hayley and Molly didn't know what to expect, whether or not the survivor would actually show up to meet them after they'd traveled from Florida to California to meet her in person.

Immediately upon meeting the three embraced. 

The survivor started sharing her story, including journal entries she had written along the way - years of abuse and 17 years of constant running from her abuser.

Hayley, Molly and the survivor still keep in touch, and MADI Apparel even sent her and her and her daughter a few more pairs of underwear on Mother’s Day!

Hayley and Molly said that they will forever carry with them the story of this determined and strong-willed survivor. And, after watching the video yourself, you will too. If you haven’t had a chance to head over to our donations page and watch the story about the real donation, you definitely must! For more information and pictures taken at other underwear donation drop-offs, click here: http://www.madiapparel.com/pages/donations-1.

A women’s shelter at its most basic function is a safe zone. It is a place where women and children who are survivors of abuse can go in their time of need. The women in these shelters have often suffered from some form of domestic abuse and even rape. Women’s Shelters provide safety, shelter, a place to sleep, food and often times clothing for those seeking its comforts.

^^ Team MADI donating new, clean undies to Hope House in Kansas City

Women flee their homes and escape abusive partners sometimes carrying nothing. During their stay at the shelter, if they don’t have everything they need to feel comfortable (like underwear, for example) they may feel the urge to leave the shelter and go back home to pack a bag of necessities. It is then, 9 times out of 10, that their abusers are at the home waiting for them-this is when the most abuse occurs, often leading to death. We want to ensure these women are comfortable on their road to recovery with all of the necessities-including underwear and that they don’t feel the need to go home.

^^ Donating MADI undies with the staff of Family Services of Tulare County

All of the clothing available at a shelter comes from donations. However, underwear can only be donated if it is new and unused, but we don’t all think to go out and buy a new package of underwear to put in our donation pile. This is what has lead to underwear being the most needed and yet most under donated item in the shelters. MADI Apparel has not only taken a step towards solving this issue, by donating underwear, but we are donating underwear that can empower these women. Underwear is a woman’s most intimate article of clothing—it could be hard to start a new life without even your most simple, intimate clothing. And as we here at MADI like to say, “its not just underwear, its dignity.” At the end of the day, we want these women to build themselves back up and feel confident again. And we can do that, even with a pair of underwear. To help now, purchase a pair for yourself and a pair will be donated at http://www.madiapparel.com/collections/all.

Written by:

www.domesticabusecouncil.com

Our universe and our world are composed of many elements. We are all familiar with the basic elements on the periodic table for our existence. We need oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen. Then there are more interesting and alluring elements that are full of possibilities like carbon and platinum.

Through all of the essential items necessary in life to exist, we must address the most important element, the human element. Although not on the periodic table, it is the most complex of all. The Human Element has all of the properties for survival and it is adaptable to change and new environments.

The Human Element has vulnerability. Humans can express joy and sadness. Humans can create energy through laughter and tears.

Once aspect of the Human Element is Domestic Violence, also known as Intimate Partner Violence.

How does domestic violence affect the Human Element? The Domestic Abuse Council, Inc. operates in Volusia County, Florida and with a population of about a half a million people, just a mere spec in the universe amongst all the elements, last year 421 individuals lived in the emergency shelter. Of that total, 191 of those humans were children.

Those people slept in the shelter for 13,873 nights. What does that number mean? If one person sleeps in their bed in their home every night, that is 365 bed nights. So those 13,873 bed nights converts to 38 years.

Imagine the wear and tear on everything in the shelter. To live 38 years in one year. Just walking on the floors, opening and closing the doors. Turning the faucet on and off. Now add some energy. Folks who come to the shelter, whether they are young or old have experienced some kind of trauma. They may still be in crisis while living in the shelter. They may not be aware of their surroundings, like you are in your own home. They may not be gentle with their belongings because they are thinking about other things.

According to the Community Agenda Snapshot of Volusia & Flagler Counties 2014 report, the African American population for Volusia County is 10.8%. Why then were 47% of our children in residence at the shelter African American. Statistically speaking, there more than 4 times more African American children in shelter than are in the general population. It is a concerning enigma.

When dealing with domestic violence, as with the Human Element, there are more questions than answers.