DISCOVER HAITI – NOW OPEN WEEKENDS

Join us at Urban Zen for an exhibition and celebration of the inspiration behind Donna’s heart for Haiti. Nomad Two Worlds and Donna Karan continue to support the artisans of Haiti with the new URBAN ZEN NOMAD TWO WORLDS HAITI EXHIBITION. The Urban Zen Center in NYC has become a gallery and temporary showroom to showcase a collection of art, accessories, clothing, and home furnishings designed and produced in Haiti. The exhibition also features the collaborative works of Russell James, Nomad Two Worlds, and Philippe Dodard as well as David Belle’s video “Naturally Haiti”, a behind the scenes look of how the collections were designed as well as gorgeous footage of Haiti and its people. Special thanks to Donna Karan International.

For more information please call 212.414.8520 or email info@urbanzen.org

Help Us Help: Text4Baby

Urban Zen is grateful to Johnson & Johnson and its partner, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition for launching text4baby, the first free health text messaging service in the U.S. Their goal is to help more pregnant women and new moms get information about their health so they can give their babies the best possible start in life.

Since more than 500,000 babies are born prematurely and an estimated 28,000 children die before their first birthday each year in the U.S., they’re hoping to make a positive impact on some of the factors like health care access, poverty, and negative health behaviors and help people stay healthier.  Text4baby sends 1 to 3 text messages per week that are timed to due dates to more than 323,000 registered people

Parents are receiving messages about prenatal care, labor signs, breastfeeding and crucial newborn information. Here are a few examples of texts parents might receive:

May Ambassador – Christy Turlington Burns

In celebration of all mothers everywhere and the advancement of maternal health, we are delighted to honor Christy Turlington Burns as our May Ambassador.

With nearly thirty years at the forefront of the fashion industry, having graced every magazine cover from Vogue to Time, Christy has established a diverse career as a model, writer, entrepreneur, spokesperson, advocate, and filmmaker. Philanthropy and service have long been a part of Christy’s personal and professional mission to make a lasting impact on the world. In 2005, Christy became an advocate for maternal health for both CARE and (RED). In 2010, she completed and debuted her documentary film, NO WOMAN, NO CRY, about the global state of maternal health, at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City and on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) on Mother’s Day 2011. Concurrent with the debut of her documentary, Christy launched Every Mother Counts, an action and mobilization campaign designed to educate and support maternal, newborn and child health.

Brainwave: A refreshing take on the mind, body, spirit connection

Recently we had the opportunity to collaborate with the Rubin Museum for their innovative well-being series Brainwave, which brought people from diverse walks of life together to engage with neuroscientists in one-on-one conversations in order to better understand the workings of our minds. It was an honor for the Urban Zen team to participate in this year’s series which focused on the role memory has played in the past, and the debatable role it plays in our contemporary cut-and-paste culture.

From remembering the past to learning in the present and the role each plays in our future, the function of memory was elegantly examined at The Rubin Museum on April 28th, starting with actress Marilu Henner and her “Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM).”

Only one of twelve documented HSAM cases, Marilu has the ability to remember each day of her past with perfect recall. As she shares in her new book Total Memory Makeover, each of us has the ability to expand our memories, relive them and take the valuable lessons we might have overlooked or subconsciously ignored. The wisdom of emotional growth allows us to look back at our lives with deeper understanding and compassion that can sometimes transform a painful memory to one that’s empowering.

URBAN ZEN FOUNDER DONNA KARAN HONORED AT PARSONS 2012 FASHION BENEFIT

We are always excited to share the events filling our calendars and the happenings that keep us energized. Last night was a particularly notable evening for the Urban Zen family as our founder, Donna Karan, was honored at the Parsons The New School for Design Fashion Benefit. Donna was honored with entrepreneur, philanthropist and Urban Zen supporter Sheila C. Johnson (read about Sheila’s trip to Haiti with Donna here).

The Fashion Benefit, now in its 64th year, raised nearly $1.4 million for scholarships and programs at Parsons – which is not only very promising news for budding young designers everwhere, but also makes an important statement on how creativity, beauty and artistic expression remain valued in our culture.

While at the Benefit, Donna expressed her gratitude for beginning her journey at Parsons saying, “Parsons gave me my start in the industry, and to be able to support future designers is incredibly important to me. I am particularly excited to be honored with Sheila, who has been so instrumental to the success of Parsons, as well as to celebrate the first graduating class of the new MFA in Fashion Design and Society.”

We are thrilled to see creativity being celebrated and to see our founder honored for her iconic, inspiring work within the design community!