DIFFA’s Specify With Care Comes to BDNY & NeoCon East
This month, DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS will showcase its recently expanded cause-marketing program Specify With Care® to the design industry at two top trade shows. At both BDNY (November 12-13, booth 508) and NeoCon East (November 15-16, booth 1253), visitors can view lines from Specify With Care® affiliates: manufacturers and companies who donate a portion of sales from select lines to benefit DIFFA. Specify With Care® allows DIFFA to provide year-round support to its grantees fighting HIV/AIDS nationwide. Tradeshow participation provides DIFFA and its affiliated partners an opportunity to showcase products and generate awarness for the initiative and the cause with leading professionals in hospitality and commercial interiors.
Obeetee, one of the largest handmade rug makers in India, is the newest company to sign on to the Specify With Care® program. BDNY and NeoCon East attendees will have the opportunity to see Obeetee’s new carpet collection, created in collaboration with seventeen interior designers and architects to benefit DIFFA. The DIFFA Collection draws from Obeetee’s rich and extensive color bank and utilizes 100% New Zealand wool to create beautiful, hand-tufted rugs. The designers and studios that participated in the collection include established names and rising visionaries such as Verda Alexander for Studio O+A, Arlene Angard, Asler Valero, William Reue, Christopher Trujillo, Tina Ramchandani, Patrick Hamilton, Darrin Varden, Marks & Frantz, dash design, Antonino Buzzetta, M Moser, Wuno, Wesley Moon, Michael Tavano and Reeta Gyamlani.
The upcoming shows will also feature designs and special giveaways from notable Specify With Care® affiliates including BLANCO, EGE, Lee Jofa, Maya Romanoff, Scott Brogan Group and Wolf Gordon. “Specify with Care® partners ensure that DIFFA has the resources to provide year-round support to organizations nationwide, offering direct-care and prevention services to individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS,” said DIFFA’s Interim Executive Director, Barbara Prete. “We’re grateful for the generosity of all of the program affiliates and are thrilled to present these special collections and designs to BDNY and NeoCon East audiences.”
In addition to the goodwill a company generates by participating in Specify With Care®, DIFFA offers its affiliates PR and marketing opportunities, as well as exposure at tradeshows and events. Companies interested in participating can contact Steven Williams at swilliams@diffa.org or visit www.diffa.org for more information.
About DIFFA
DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS raises awareness and grants funds to organizations that fight HIV/AIDS by providing treatment and direct care services for people living with or impacted by the disease, offering preventative education programs targeted to populations at risk of infection, or supporting public policy initiatives. DIFFA is one of the largest funders of HIV/AIDS service and education programs in the United States, mobilizing the immense resources and creativity of the design community. Since its founding in 1984, DIFFA has emerged from a grassroots organization into a national foundation based in New York City with chapters and community partners across the country that, working together, have provided more than $43 million to hundreds of HIV/AIDS organizations nationwide. www.diffa.org.
About Obeetee:
Obeetee is one of the largest handmade rug makers in India and one of the oldest hand-woven rug companies in the world. Obeetee’s outstanding quality and reputation have earned the interest of many famous and notable people. Founded as Oakley Bowden & Taylor in 1920, Obeetee has grown to 650 permanent employees and works with 20,000 independent artisans who are engaged in weaving and processing our rugs in India. Thanks to their efforts, Obeetee is the leading producer and exporter of hand-knotted, hand tufted and flat-woven carpets in India. Obeetee is the world’s first wool-mark licensee for hand-knotted carpets. Obeetee has the greatest in-house capabilities of any rug-maker in India, thanks to their modern dyeing plant and inspired design department. The Obeetee color bank holds over 4,000 colorfast shades of wool. The designers at Obeetee constantly study new textures and fresh combinations, to ensure the production of the finest quality rugs available in India. Obeetee cares for the artisans and the environment as much as they care about the quality of their products. Their environment friendly power systems run mainly on gas-derived biomass. The company looks after the extended families of its workers and ensures use of safe dyes and chemicals. Internationally recognized as the premier source for the finest of handmade carpets in India, Obeetee has received countless national awards for being the country’s largest and most reputable exporter. Obeetee Pvt. Ltd. is based in Mirzapur, India, on the Grand Trunk Road between Delhi and Kolkata. Progressive, dynamic and ethical, Obeetee is constantly striving to offer the best quality products and a lifetime of beauty and delight to its customers. Obeetee.com
