“We saw A-thread as an opportunity to not only provide great clothes for our customers, but also make an impact in society,” says Jin Chon of the line she and her brother started earlier this year. For every purchase made through A-thread, the brother-sister team donates 5 percent to a one of four charity partners. Dive into their rundown of worthy causes. —alisha prakash Our A-thread sweater dress benefits Kiva—score it here! Samson takes a stand.  Los Angeles Animal ServicesJin: “Two years ago, we rescued Samson from the Pasadena Humane Society. He was so skinny and dirty and had matted fur—they found him wandering the streets. Today, he is such an important part of our family—he comes to work everyday. One day, he got spooked by something and took off. We looked for days and couldn’t find him. During that time, we went around to all the local animal shelters in Los Angeles and saw so many other animals that needed homes. A few days later, a good samaritan called, and he had found Samson wandering around Olvera Street in downtown. When our customers select Los Angeles Animal Services, the funds go to the Animal Welfare Trust Fund, directly to the animals for medical care, medications, housing, and food.” KivaKevin: “True help isn’t giving handouts, but helping others to establish the skills and capabilities they need to continue to support themselves and their communities.  All the money we give to Kiva is directed into microloans for women, which, when re-paid, go directly back into another loan. The help we can provide is infinite and exponential—we can continually empower women around the world who are responsible for supporting their immediate and extended families.” Thirst ReliefJin: “To imagine not having clean drinking water is unfathomable to most of us—we don’t realize how blessed we are to be able to turn on a faucet. Thirst Relief helps to provide this basic need to many developing countries. For the cost of our morning lattes, Thirst Relief is able to provide one person with clean drinking water for 20 years. For such a small amount of money to have such a great impact on a person’s life is a miracle, and we want to help perpetuate that growth.” Children of the NightKevin: “Human trafficking is something that we feel strongly about and wanted to get involved in. As we were in the process of researching non-profits, we found out about Children of the Night.  We were shocked to learn that human trafficking was happening right here in the U.S. We hadn’t heard too much about this, so we decided it would be best to start helping at home. (COTN is headquartered in Van Nuys, California.) They rescue child prostitutes from anywhere in the country and give them the chance to really be children.”

Sure, Kevin and Jin Chon, the talented twosome behind the shop-for-a-cause brand, A-thread, might be business partners, but they’re brother and sister first. “As kids, Jin always tried to boss me around because she’s three years older, but I would always fight back,” says Kevin. “I would say until junior high, I was the boss,” Jin laughs. “After that, I had to be careful and choose my battles.” Here, the two take us back in time to some chubby-cheeked childhood moments. —alisha prakash Jin: “Kevin is six months old, a little chubster, and I was just shy of four years old. We love the peacock crochet accents on the very brown couch.” Kevin: “Here, I am one with all of our stuffed animals. It is crazy, but we had those stuffed animals until we were in late elementary school in a playhouse in our backyard.” Jin: “This family photo was taken at Kings Canyon on a camping trip with family friends. I was four and a half years old, and Kevin was one and a half. This is a great example of early photo bombing.” Kevin: “Here, Jin is five years old, and I am 2. Our family lived in an apartment complex in Koreatown, and it had this great courtyard in the middle where all the kids would play and ride their bikes.” Kevin: “This was taken at my high school graduation.”