Penny’s Flight: Lilly Pulitzer is showing its charitable side.
The Oxford Industries-owned brand has co-designed a special print for a collection of women’s, men’s and girls’ apparel and accessories to raise money for Penny’s Flight Foundation.
The charity was formed in honor of Penny Doerge, the daughter of former Paul Wilmot Communications executive Kate Doerge, who died at the age of 16 from neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerve pathways throughout the body. Kate Doerge, who is now a motivational speaker and author, serves as chief executive officer of Penny’s Flight Foundation, which was created in 2022 to fund advances in medical research on NF and related disorders.
The Lilly Pulitzer collection is called Penny’s Playground and features 19 styles ranging in price from $42 to $278, and includes dresses, sportswear, and activewear. It will be available though September.
Lilly Pulitzer has also committed to make a donation of $20,000 to Penny’s Flight Foundation, regardless of the sales of the collection. It will be part of the organization’s third annual Family Jamboree that will be held on June 28 at the Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, N.Y., on Long Island. Dawes is headlining and Lilly Pulitzer will have a pop-up on site where the collection will be sold and artists from its print studio will offer guests the opportunity to color custom-designed Penny’s Playground coloring pages and purchase butterfly stickers.
Volunteers at the Fam Jam will be dressed in pieces from the Penny’s Playground collection.
In addition, Lilly Pulitzer will hold a nationwide “shop and share” event across all 66 of its stores on Sunday, where it hopes to raise an additional $20,000 for the charity.
“We are thrilled to announce our support for Penny’s Flight Foundation through our latest Print with Purpose collection,” said Mira Fain, chief creative officer of Lilly Pulitzer. “Our team is incredibly proud to contribute to the important work that Penny’s Flight Foundation is doing. The inclusion of the butterfly motif in our design is a heartfelt tribute to both Penny and Lilly, celebrating their shared joy and the foundation’s mission. We hope that this collaboration brings awareness and support to the medical research efforts aimed at ending neurofibromatosis (NF) and provides hope to the many families and patients affected by this condition.”
In the past two years, Fam Jam has raised over $2.4 million for neurofibromatosis research.