Defining LOVE Around the World
Love Is Project to Release New Book "The Greatest Love Story Ever Told" - FEBRUARY 2020 -
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - In 2012, Chrissie Lam had just left her job in corporate fashion and was on the hunt for something more. It was in Kenya that she discovered what that might be. As a fashion marketer and creative director, Lam knew she could help the woman of Kenya's Maasai tribe turn their beautiful beadwork into an international sensation. By merging her background and network in design with international development, she did just that. Lam worked with the Maasai tribe to design a bracelet emblazoned with a single powerful word: LOVE. The ultimate goal being to create jobs for their community. She brought the bracelet with her on her world
travels. Chrissie chose the word "love" because it is universal; relatable to everyone in the world. It is the common thread that connects us all.
On a flight to Moscow she struck up a conversation with two women and asked them: What does love mean to you? It was the question with infinite answers. This brief encounter led to hundreds more. Lam documented love stories everywhere she went, and eventually shared them on social media. Posts about the LOVE bracelet attracted up to 240,000 likes on Instagram. An Indiegogo campaign aiming to raise capital for the LOVE bracelet line drew inover $33,000-exceeding its modest goal of $5,000 by 657%. Corporate partnerships with American Eagle Outfitters and Whole Foods Market soon followed. The first large-scale orders created
over 400 jobs in Kenya alone. Within a year, a concept bracelet and viral marketing campaign became The Love Is Project in 2015. In December of that year, the Discover Channel's Seeker network
highlighted the love stories Lam had collected in an online segment.
The Love Is Project has since grown into a global organization, providing 1,200 female artisans in 10 countries with jobs, and generating almost $2 million in sales. The company has been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, NBC, Refinery29, Glamour, Elle, and Oprah Magazine. Bella Thorne, Jessica Stein and other notables have been spotted wearing LOVE on their wrists. In Glamour magazine's cover story, Anne Hathaway, proudly wearing her own rainbow love bracelet and confesses, ''I'm more loving now, and that includes toward myself." With all the growth and media attention, Lam and her team have been able to spread the love even more. In 2018, the Love is Project donated 1,600 bracelets to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the wake of the tragic school shooting. With the wave of homegrown gun violence, the brewing racial and religious intolerance and acts of international terrorism, supporters around the world resonate with the Love Is Project's message of love, acceptance and empathy in defiance towards negativity.
What started as a personal passion project began to blossom into a global movement of love. The success of the project showed an appetite for something different. Technology keeps us connected, yet we are disconnected in real life. This was an experiment in connection. This year, Love Is Project will be a proud sponsor of the 20th Anniversary Marathon in Lewa, Kenya, focusing on efforts in
wildlife, conservation and community. Creating these bracelets have helped thousands of women achieve economic independence, educational opportunities, steady work at fair wages, and so much more.The people that Lam has encountered and lives that the Love Is Project has touched since that first flight to Moscow has never stopped growing. Which leads to The Greatest Love Story Ever Told, a photobook filled with vibrant imagery and inspiring stories documented over the many years of this project. The book is fittingly slated for
release on Valentine's Day 2020.
"This book is a collection of stories from my last five years of travel and work with female artisans around the world," says Lam,
"It encapsulates so much of what makes The Love Is Project meaningful. This book also gives readers a first-hand look at the unique cultures, talented artists and inspiring people who bring the Love Is Project to life every day. As I collected these stories,I realized I had the makings of an exceptional book. A book about romance, humor, family, triumph, and dreaming big. The profiles of the people in this book give voice to positivity and humanize different cultures around the world. The Greatest Love Story Ever Told seeks to inspire the reader to foster deeper, more meaningful
connections.This book will also help fund future partnerships with female artisans, so they ean eontinue to spread the love!"
Love Is Project just successfully completed funding their Kickstarter campaign for the book on July 14th with 260 backers from around the world raising $31,380. Books are available for pre-order now here.