Buy notebooks by Kenzo to aid for the rehabilitation of orphan girls in Chhattisgarh and street children in Kolkata. Yes, the luxury brand famous for its floral motifs, one of the very few to have gone from the East and established itself in the West, has joined the league of do-gooders in India.

Kenzo, which entered India about a couple of years back, has joined hands with Tomorrow?s Foundation, says Sonal Bhatia, brand manager of Kenzo in India. She explains, ?Kenzo and Tomorrow?s Foundation have a long history together because Arup and Swarup Ghosh of Tomorrow?s Foundation have a design house that has been making embroideries for Kenzo Defile Catwalk Collection. The connect is very strong. During a conversation with CEO James Greenfield, the idea came up to do a collaborative effort and the idea of Kenzo Carnet was born. It was rolled out between December 9 and January 10.?

Bhatia explains that adolescents at Tomorrow?s Foundation have been involved in making cards and notebooks and once Kenzo got associated, ways were found to synergise the work of the two institutions.

The notebooks, of the traditional paper variety, are limited edition. They are priced at Rs 1,700 and are bound in exclusive prints from the Kenzo Autumn-Winter 2009 runway collection. Each notebook?s opening page also has a hand-drawn sketch by Kenzo?s creative director Antonio Marras. The notebooks have been handbound by children and young adults working with the Tomorrow?s Foundation Card Project (TFCP). ?The notebooks are first bought by Kenzo from the foundation and then all profits from sales are again sent to the foundation,? says Bhatia.

They were released worldwide in time for the Christmas holiday season. In India, the notebooks were launched at the brand?s boutique in Delhi?s Emporio Mall last week.

Kenzo tryst with responsible luxury is not new. It has always been associated with cheerfulness and epitomises a world without boundaries. The organisation has a strong association with the French since 1993, when Janine Walter, a French educationist, joined their team. In 1995, Calcutta de la rue ? l??cole was formed in France as a twin association to support their projects.

Kenzo, a pioneer in haute couture and one of the first ready-to-wear brands globally when it launched about 30 years back, took at blow last year as the downturn impacted the luxury business. However, the brand had a satisfactory year in India and is looking to open more boutiques by 2011.