The intellectual snob has her New Yorker tote, the art snob her (unironic) Gagosian L.L. Bean. The Upper West Side snob has her Zabar’s canvas, while the Brentwood snob will never tell you how much she paid for her Erewhon reusable. As for the style snob with an altruistic bent and a Social Register pedigree, she most certainly has a few FEED bags in the closet—and not just for quick trips to Citarella. They’re feel-good reminders of her generosity of spirit.
FEED, as you probably already know, is the brainchild of Lauren Bush Lauren, a granddaughter of former POTUS George H.W. Bush and daughter-in-law of Ralph Lauren. In 2007 she came up with an idea: launch a crusade against childhood hunger, but make it fashion. Or, more specifically, spin burlap into retro grain sack totes and enlist a coterie of celebrity pals and fellow It girls (the original influencers!) to carry them around, in full view of the paps—and Patrick McMullan. It proved quite effective. To date FEED has delivered more than 126 million meals to children around the globe.
Each FEED bag provides at least 10 school meals through three partner organizations: the UN World Food Programme, the India-based Akshaya Patra, and No Kid Hungry, which serves children in the U.S.
Sustainability is at the core of FEED, which became B Corp.–certified last year. Each bag is made of organic cotton (which uses 91 percent less water and is grown sans pesticides) and has been woven by artisans.
This month the brand launches its latest collection, which includes this limited edition version in classic gingham. We can already calculate how many of these totes will be spotted at William Poll before Thanksgiving weekend. Speaking of, now is a great time to count your blessings and do that other very American thing: pay it forward.
This story appears in the November 2023 issue of Town & Country.
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