Check out some of the Sharpie stars below and be sure to add your own at sharpie.com!

Grace inking it Pink!

Ready to Ink it Pink this October alongside your favorite celebrities, sports superstars and fellow Sharpie lovers?! This month we are making pink the new black in the autograph world as we kick off our annual “Ink It Pink” campaign to help fight breast cancer. 

We are challenging celebrities, our incredible fans and YOU to ink it pink for the cause.  For every pink autograph submitted to www.sharpie.com during the month of October, we will donate $1* to City of Hope, one of the nation’s leading cancer research, treatment and education centers.

The movement is already underway as rock star, Grace Potter from Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, has already signed on to the Ink It Pink effort!  Potter helped kick-off the campaign Saturday, September 24, during her band’s concert in New York City’s Central Park where she inked pink autographs for fans and encouraged them to do the same and send them over to sharpie.com!

You may remember last year was a HUGE success as hundreds of A-listers, from Hollywood movie legends and hall-of-fame athletes to revered rocks stars and respected media icons, lent their signatures to the effort.(Miley Cyrus’ Ink it Pink video is STILL our highest viewed on the Sharpie YouTube channel!)

Well this year is no different! The pink signatures have already started rolling in, including Shay Mitchell from Pretty Little Liars and 19-time Olympic medalist,  Michael Phelps, and you can help, too!

Shay Mitchell from ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars

How YOU can Ink it Pink and support Breast Cancer Research 

Want to lend your own Sharpie-fied signature to help out the cause?
Just follow these few simple steps and you’ll have your name alongside your favorite celeb in minutes:

1. Visit www.sharpie.com, (where you can also check out all the celebrity signatures.)  

2. Accept the Ink it Pink challenge and submit yours!  

You can also support the Ink it Pink mission and City of Hope by picking up your favorite Pink Ribbon Sharpie products, including the NEW Sharpie Pink Ribbon Pen, Sharpie Pink Ribbon marker, the Sharpie Pink Ribbon highlighter!  Sharpie has been a City of Hope partner since 2006 and in that time has donated more than $2 million to City of Hope’s lifesaving research and treatment programs by commiting to donate ten cents from the sale of each pink ribbon product.

So, join us this October and Ink it Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness!

Meet Donna Karan, American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels.  Growing up in NY, Donna Karan was influenced by fashion from a young age by her step-father, a tailor and her mother who was a model.  After attending Parson’s School of Design for two years, she began designing for Anne Klein and eventually head of the Anne Klein design-team.  In 1985 she left to start her own company that quickly became known for her Essentials line, which offered 7 easy pieces every woman should own.  Three years later, in ’88 the DKNY collection was introduced,  as a modern, moderately-priced young collection, drawing from the spirit of big city life.

Karan’s clothing is designed to enhance and look good on every woman, not just coming down the runway.  Donna Karan is known to support the needs of modern women with her clothing. The saying goes, that before the production of a piece of clothes is approved by Karan, it has to look good on her! 

Find Donna Karan’s fashions at Donna Karan New York.  This desinger’s information was acquired at Fashion Infomat. 

Designer: Jill Stuart

Designer Jill Stuart was deep into the fashino industry since birth, as her parents owned a popular ’60s Manhattan clothing store called Mister Pants, dressing stars including Natalie Wood and Lucille Ball.  Leveraging those connections, Stuart was able to  jump-start her own career.  At 15, this Manhattan native designer had jewelery and handbags displayed in the windows of high end stores including Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel and Neiman Marcus.  

The Jill Stuart label became well known for innovative ad campaigns with top fashion photographers.  While other designers were going grunge in the early 90′s Stuart turned to preppy and plaids, which became notoriously linked to the popular teen movie, Clueless.  Stuart’s feminine, sometimes frilly collections can be found in her Soho flagship, as well as in higher-end department stores, and has come to include handbags, shoes, and perfume. In 2007, Stuart launched a secondary line called Jill by Jill Stuart featuring ready-to-wear pieces at lower prices.

You can find Jill Stuarts beautiful collections at JillStuart.com.

All designer information was found from an article featured in New York Magazine. 

Designer: Tia Ciabani, Ports 1961

Designer: Rachel Roy

Originally from California, Rachel graduated from Washington DC then moved to New York to pursue her passion for design, working freelance – styling magazine shoots and music videos ultimately landing an internship at Rocawear where she was able to master her craft and build several influential relationships.  In Fall 2004, Roy introduced her own collection, RACHEL ROY, which debuted in department and specialty stores for Spring 2005. Using her sophisticated aesthetic to her own collection, incorporated with striking silhouettes, a sophisticated color palette and day-to-night pieces, Roy has attracted editorial acclaim in publications such as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, W and Vanity Fair.

Dressing icons and starlettes including the likes of Michelle Obama, Kate Hudson, Lucy Liu and Penelope Cruz, also featured on The Oprah Winfrey show, RACHEL ROY is making a prominent and influential mark on fashion.  

RACHEL ROY NEW YORK has grown to include four full collections each year and recently created a joint venture with Jones Apparel Group Inc. in the hopes of expanding the wholesale business globally, introduce new product categories and open stand-alone stores in the United States and abroad.  To date, the RACHEL ROY collections are available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and top specialty stores worldwide.

Click HERE to find stunning RACHEL ROY collections.

All of this designer’s information was found at RachelRoy.com

City of Hope:

Hundreds of fundraising events are held for City of Hope across the nation each year. Every dollar raised advances our mission to transform innovative research into treatments that save lives here and around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people share your desire to make a difference by driving us to work even harder to conquer cancer and other serious diseases. On behalf of patients and their loved ones, we invite you to join the effort.

Such Events include: Walk For Hope, Eggleston Desert Gold Classic , Fight For Life and the Sierra Madre Wine and Jazz Walk.  

Breast Cancer Facts:

The seriousness of invasive breast cancer is strongly influenced by the stage of the disease; that is, the extent or spread of the cancer when it is first diagnosed. There are two main staging systems for cancer. The American Joint Committee on Cancer classification of tumors uses information on tumor size and how far it has spread within the breast and nearby organs (T), lymph node involvement (N), and the presence or absence of distant metastases (spread to distant organs) (M). II, III, or IV is assigned, with stage I being an early stage and stage IV being the most advanced. The AJCC staging system is commonly used in clinical settings.

 A simpler system used for staging of cancers is known as the SEER Summary Stage system and is more commonly used in reporting to cancer registries and for public health research and planning.  According to this system:

– Local-stage tumors are cancers confined to the breast.

– Regional-stage tumors have spread to surrounding tissue or nearby lymph nodes.

– Distant-stage cancers have metastasized (spread) to distant organs.

This information was provided by the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Facts and Figures 2009-2010.  Find the PDF version HERE.

Auction Details:

Visit www.sharpieuncapped.com to participate in the auction and bid on designers’ Sharpie art work  and be sure to read Works of Art From the Heart for more info on the auction and Know the Facts 1 & 2.

Sharpie, Uncap What’s Inside!

Designer: Prabal Gurung

This designer has made his mark on the world of fashion as an artistic designer and visionary.  Born in Singapore, raised in the kingdom of Nepal’s Katmandu, studying in New Delhi and working working all over the world, Gurung’s inspiring travels have helped him to develop impeccable taste and an eclectic style.   

Currently residing in NYC, fusing an old world-technique with cutting-edge modernity, Prabal Gurung creates beautiful pieces.  “He is an artist whose mission is to bring his unique vision to the force of the industry and lease an indelible mark on the work of fashion.”  Gurungs collections are found in select Bloomingdale’s stores in NY and CA as well as internationally.

 This information was acquired from the brand’s website.  For more info on this ground breaking designer and his line please visit www.prabalgurung.com

Designer: Rebecca Taylor

This well-known New Zealand native has grown to be one of the most well known designers in the US.  Coming fro ma humble background, Taylor got her start in her hometown of Wellington, New Zealand where her first job was making outfits for Viet Cong frog puppets for director Peter Jackson’s movie Meet the Feebles.  Taylor claims that this job “put her on the right road” — and lucky for us because today we get to buy her beautiful creations, ranging from accessories to dresses, tops to bottoms, even jackets and candy!  Shop Rebecca Taylor’s collections HERE!

This information was acquired from the brand’s website.  For more info on this designer and her beautiful line please visit www.rebeccataylor.com.

Designer: Michelle Smith, Milly 

Michelle Smith designer behind Milly is taking steps in defining the new young luxury niche with smart, sexy and feminine style.    her line consists of ready-to-wear and resort collections of sleek and timeless silhouettes that compliment her own wardrobe as well as her large customer base.

Milly is known for exquisite colors and prints, luxurious fabrics and beautiful details.  With shops all over the world, including London and Tokyo, Milly is building global recognition for its functionality, detail and high quality. Combining her creativy, love of fashion, couture techniques, and striking prints,  Michelle Smith continues to create beautiful, functional pieces that easily move from day to night.  Click HERE to view and shop Milly’s collections.

This information was acquired from the brand’s website.  For more info on this lovely designer and her line please visit www.millyny.com.

City of Hope Fact

City of Hope’s breast cancer services and technologies provide women with the best care available. Breast Cancer prevention, early detection and genetic counseling are a priority. City of Hope offers advanced imaging technologies for breast cancer detection , including digital mammography, breast MRI and more.

For women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, City of Hope provides state-of-the-art surgical, medical and radiation therapies, including many that are not yet available to the general public.

Many breast cancer services at City of Hope are provided at the Rita Cooper Finkel and J. William Finkel Women’s Health Center. Staff members at the center are committed to enhancing each patient’s well-being, both physically and emotionally.

Breast Cancer Fact

Doctors estimate that 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to gene mutation passed through generations of a family. A number of inherited defective genes that can increase the likelihood of breast cancer have been identified. The most common are breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), both of which increase the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.

If you have a strong family history of breast cancer or other cancers, blood tests may help identify defective BRCA or other genes that are being passed through your family. Consider asking your doctor for a referral to a genetic counselor who can review your family health history. A genetic counselor can also discuss the benefits, risks and limitations of genetic testing with you.

Auction Details

Visit www.sharpieuncapped.com to participate in the auction and bid on designers’ Sharpie art work  and be sure to read Works of Art From the Heart for more info on the auction and Know the Facts featuring Tory Burch and Tracy Reese.

 Here at Sharpie, we too are playing an active role in supporting the cause.  With our friends at City of Hope Breast Cancer Research Center, these are a few ways we are showing our support this month: 

JEANS WEEK FOR HOPE: Employees donated $10 (or more) to  City of Hope, a breast cancer research, treatment and education center and may wear jeans to work beginning September 28th through October 9th! 

BAKE SALE: Friday, October 2nd we had a HUGE Bake Sale, giving all proceeds to City of Hope.  People offered their culinary expertise by bringing in all sorts of delicious pink treats including cookies, cupcakes, and muffins.  (*Note: Thank you to the one health concious person who brought in apples, carrots and celery sticks.  Nice try, but no dice..) Though I am not sure how much was raised at our Bake Sale I can tell you this much, there was nearly nothing to chose from once 3 o’ clock rolled around!

BREAST CANCER-INSPIRED ART: After NY Fashion Week wrapped up, I sent out small 5×7 canvases and a box of Sharpie markers to a host of top designers.  In the packages was a note inviting the designers to participate in a charity initiative with Sharpie and City of Hope Cancer Research Center.  We asked for a sketch, doodle, design anything to inspire and empower women.  Each sketch will later be donated to City of Hope and auctioned online during Ocotober. All proceeds will benefit City of Hope. I’ve already received a few canvases and am very excited to see more as they come in!  Please join us for the auction and  bid on these one-of-a-kind canvases on City of Hope’s auction site: www.auctionsforhopes.org.

WALK FOR HOPE: Sunday, Ocotober 4th employees participated in Walk for Hope, a national breast cancer walk series that raises millions of dollars in support of breast cancer research, treatment and education programs at City of Hope.   Click Here for more info.

PINK INK: Sharpie will donate ten cents from the sale of each Pink Ribbon Sharpie marker and Pink Ribbon Sharpie Accent Highlighter to City of Hope for breast cancer research, treatment and education.  Don’t you just love these:

While October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness month, we should not limit oursleves to this one month out of the entire year.   Although many great strides have been made in breast cancer awareness and treatment, there remains much to be accomplished.  Women need to be educated and empowered year round to take charge of their own health by practicing regular exams, scheduling regular visits with their healthcare provider, and knowing the facts about breast cancer.  For more information , please visit www.cityofhope.org.