Q&A: Style Saves Takes on Fashion & Philanthropy

Miami, FL – August 10, 2023 – From servicing 500 students to 15,000 over the past years, Style Saves has been merging the worlds of fashion and philanthropy as one since 2011. Founded by fashion stylist Rachael Russell Saiger and joined by model Isabela Grutman and entrepreneur David Grutman, Style Saves holds yearly back-to-school events to give back to children and their families, providing items like private-label school supplies, backpacks, sneakers and uniforms. With a long-term goal of serving more families and students across the state of Florida, ultimately making back to school a less stressful time of year that is typically a financial burden for a lot of families, Style Saves has plans to continue to grow their reach and partnerships.

WRE: What was the inspiration behind starting Style Saves in 2011?

Rachel Russell Saiger: As a fashion stylist, I was always working with major brands and seeing how wasteful the industry was with samples and dead stock and knew that there were a lot of students in the community that could benefit from it. This initial idea has blossomed into something I am so proud of and has become a pillar of the community in South Florida. I think we can all relate to what it was like getting ready for your first day of school and how excited you got to show off your new outfit and unfortunately there’s a lot of kids that don’t get to experience that with a sense of excitement so we were excited to be able to give these kids the same experience as their peers.

The primary mission behind Style Saves has always been to unite fashion and philanthropy

Rachel Russell Saiger

WRE: What is the primary mission behind Style Saves?

RRS: The primary mission behind Style Saves has always been to unite fashion and philanthropy. My background is in fashion styling, so it only made sense for this to be our primary focus. Over the years we have built a passionate, like-minded community of creatives who are committed to nurturing tomorrow’s leaders through the basic principles that fashion can uplift and be a catalyst for good. We are in a relentless pursuit to provide youths and their families with essential goods – from school backpacks to nutritious meals – to increase academic achievement.

WRE: How has Style Saves evolved over the last 12 years?

RRS: We have continued to grow year after year. A big part of that comes from the support we get from Dave and Isabela and their network of like-minded individuals. We steered away from hosting our Swim Show, one of the largest events during Miami Swim Week, during the pandemic when people weren’t hosting large events. Instead of our Swim Event, we are now partnering with the Bazaar For Good, another incredible fashion-focused nonprofit organization founded by our friends Martha Graeff and Danie Gomez-Ortigoza, to raise funds that support our annual Back to School event and several other global organizations. Last year we started to produce our own private-label school supplies, backpacks, sneakers and uniforms, which allows us more consistency.

Our goal is to grow every year and serve more families and students across the state of Florida

Rachel Russell Saiger

WRE: What should the attendees expect the year at Mana for the weekend?

RRS: Every year we have a different theme, and this year the theme is ‘Circus’. We will have themed activities for students and their families, including a petting zoo by Tinez Farms, bounce houses, magicians, balloon animals, arcade games, and carnival rides, as well as a 360 Photobooth from Good Looks Rental, haircuts and styling by IGK, and Calla Blow Bar, manicures by Glosslab, arts + crafts by The Poppet Project, State of Kid and Entertainment from The Miami Heat. Community is a big part of the DNA of Style Saves, and Miami PD always has a presence at our events, helping to build relationships with the police and the people in the community they serve.

WRE: How did you meet Isabela Grutman and combine forces to run Style Saves?

RRS: Isabela and I met shortly after she moved to Miami from NY in 2016 and she was looking to get involved in a charity that she connected with the core mission. We have very similar morals, values and upbringings so we instantly bonded and have been able to grow the organization together over the past eight years from 500 students to the biggest back to school event in the country servicing 15,000 students.

WRE: What are the future plans for Style Saves?

RRS: Our goal is to grow every year and serve more families and students across the state of Florida,
ultimately making back to school a less stressful time of year that is typically a financial burden for a lot of families. Our goal is to eventually bring this important program to other cities in the US to positively impact students' lives and set them up for success. To date, we’ve reached more than 150,000 students and their families through all of our initiatives, and we want to continue to grow our existing programs and introduce new initiatives like our Mentorship Program which launches this September.

Our new Mentorship Program is designed to facilitate greater workforce involvement and employment opportunities for youth in underserved communities. By participating in a small, focused, workforce-tailored program focused on learning critical leadership skills, resume writing techniques, networking strategies, and financial management tools from local experts across a wide range of industries, we hope to arm participants with the skills and inspiration to get them on the right path to a career they are proud of.