CONCORD, N.H. — Wyclef Jean and The Timberland Co. are teaming up to sell eco-friendly footwear and support reforestation of the singer's native Haiti.
Jean, who achieved fame with The Fugees before going solo, collaborated with the New Hampshire-based footwear and apparel company on a 16-boot collection going on sale in November. Timberland also will sell T-shirts designed by Haitian children, and a new line of organic shirts and hats will be sold at Jean's concerts, with a cut of the profits going to Jean's Yele Haiti foundation.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Jean says he hopes the partnership will inspire children and put a new face on his homeland. The partnership is part of Timberland's Earthkeepers program, which promotes environmental and social activism.
Unlike most corporations trying--just now--to hitch a free ride on the "green bandwagon," The Timberland Company maintains a long history of environmental stewardship that began by partnering with the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) in 1993.