After Irma: How Shopping Can Help The Caribbean

Want to help the Caribbean recover after hurricane Irma? I’ve asked you to give to reputable aid organizations. I’ve asked you to keep visiting the many islands that weren’t affected. And now I’m asking you to do one more thing: Shop!

Let’s all put our money where our mouths are to support the region’s recovery by dropping some dinero with these companies, who’ve all pledged proceeds or part-proceeds to Caribbean hurricane relief. Because when you purchase with a purpose, you’ll never suffer retail regret!

Royal House of Wraps I have several of these colorful solid and patterned headwraps and can confidently say that they’re travel lifesavers, equally adept at salvaging bad hair days, functioning as beach wraps, and keeping your neck toasty in aggressively air-conditioned aircraft cabins. And this week (beginning September 11) Royal House of Wraps will be donating 50 percent of all sales to the Barbuda Relief Fund (via remittance to the New York office of the government of Antigua and Barbuda).

Sea Sage I’ve been admiring these photo-print scarves by Turks and Caicos Islands-designer Amy Brown for a few years now, and am happy to finally have an excuse to buy one of my own. From now through September 20, 30 percent of all sales of her island-inspired crepe-de-chine scarves, kaftans and kimonos will be donated to Hurricane Relief Turks and Caicos.

Sonya Limited If you went to St. Croix and didn’t leave with a hook bracelet, did you even go?! Crucians have been wearing these slim silver and gold wristlets for decades now, and buying an original from the company that popularized them is a rite of passage for almost every visitor. And now, to their collection of bracelets that commemorate past hurricanes, the Christiansted jeweler has just added the Irma bracelet, which features five 14k gold balls signifying the hurricane’s category 5 status. Part proceeds from the sale go to benefit sister U.S. Virgin Islands St. Thomas and St. John, both of which were battered by the storm.