Designer Michael Kors is committed to excellence. He serves on the board of trustees for the New York Restoration Project, as they seek to promote a cleaner, more beautiful New York.

Kors explained why he is involved with the New York Restoration Project.


Image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com

“The reality is,” said “if you don’t have nature, especially if you live a crazy hectic life, you don’t ever get the chance to kind of breathe and kind of recharge your batteries, so nature is something that’s so important for me,” Kors said, according to Red Carpet Pictures.

The New York Restoration Project takes an active role in working with communities, as they restore, develop, and revitalize parks and community gardens. They provide on-going maintenance and programs, and they believe that every individual has a right to a beautiful neighborhood. According to Charity Navigator, NYRP was originally founded in 1995.

The charity seems like a great fit for the world-recognized designer. Kors has previously worked with God’s Love We Deliver and the Cancer Research Institute. Maybe, it’s easy for the accomplished designer to stand behind the New York Restoration Project, as he has roots in New York City. After graduating from FIT, Kors worked at Bergdorf Goodman. Since then, he has launched the Michael Kors women’s wear line at Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Kors has created gowns for Michelle Obama, Jennifer Garner, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Alicia Keys. He is also a judge on the reality television program, Project Runway.

Kors is glad to stand with this organization that has revitalized open spaces for over 20 years. According to their Facebook page, the New York Restoration Project has worked with AmeriCorps to plant hundreds of thousands of trees, shrubs, and flowers. The organization has saved 114 community gardens from commercial development. They have also served over 10,000 at-risk, young people. One of their leading programs is MillionTreesNYC, an initiative to plant one million new tress throughout NYC’s five boroughs by 2017.

The New York Restoration Project hosted a Spring Picnic benefit on May 29. Celebrities who celebrated the annual event include Cynthia Nixon, Amy Poehler, Bernadette Peters, and Mayor de Blasio, according to Playbill.