Some of Australia’s largest fashion brands and retailers are uniting to raise funds and awareness for the Children’s Medical Research Institute and help find cures for children’s genetic diseases.
Lowes is the founding partner of the Jeans for Genes Retail Alliance, and last year they raised more than $75,000. This adds to the more than $1 million that Lowes has raised for CMRI since 1998.
“Becoming part of the Jeans for Genes campaign is a privilege for our team,’’ Lowes CEO Linda Penn said.
“This is a cause that touches so many families, and we’re excited to be able to help raise vital funds and awareness for the amazing work being done in the labs at CMRI.”
Lowes will be donating $10 from the sale of every pair of jeans and denim shorts, both in-store and online, from July 3 until September 3. They will also accept donations in-store.
Joining the Retail Alliance for the first time is Munro Footwear Group’s Williams, Mathers and The Trybe. Their stores will be accepting donations in-store and online from August this year through to January 2026.
Munro Footwear Group creative director Kerri Munro said it was a natural step for the 50-year-old company to support research to help the 1 in 20 Aussie kids impacted by birth defects and genetic diseases.
“For decades, everyday Australians have walked into our stores because they trust us,” Munro said. “We’re very grateful for the opportunity to give back to those families who are facing extraordinary challenges.
“We encourage everyone to make a donation to support this important research.’’
Other Aussie retailers who are part of the Retail Alliance this year include Seed Heritage, kikki-K, Fine-Day, allkinds, Commonry and Unison – who are also accepting donations in-store and online from July 28 until August 10.
Alongside them, babywear brand Little You will donate $10 from every sale from July 14 to August 11 to CMRI. Mojo Candles are selling Jeans for Genes candles with 25 per cent of each sale going to CMRI.
Jeans for Genes was launched by the Children's Medical Research Institute in 1994 to raise funds and awareness for genetic research. The campaign encourages community participation through various activities, such as wearing jeans, Bake it Blue cake sales and fundraising events like 100 Skips a Day and Ks for Kids.
This year, Jeans for Genes Day will be marked on Thursday, August 7.
One of the faces for this year’s Jeans for Genes campaign is Ollie, who was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma — a rare, aggressive type of soft tissue cancer that develops in skeletal muscle tissue. He underwent 67 rounds of chemotherapy and 32 rounds of radiotherapy before he went into remission.
“The importance of research is that it benefits families like mine who have a sick child and make it through their journey,’’ his dad, Nathan, said. “It scares me to think that if we didn't help scientists learn more about the specific cancers, learn more about the treatment processes, he might not be here today.”