StreetTalkin – Musician Wyclef Jean Comes to Philadelphia To Intro Timberland(R) Earthkeepers Project, November 4 at VILLA

TOMORROW, on Wednesday, November 4, from 4pm to 6pm, fans of the Grammy award-winning musician, Wyclef Jean, should get out to VILLA’s in Philadelphia (1018 Market Street) to see him speak about the Timberland collaboration and his Yéle Haiti organization, and conduct a meet and greet with fans.

Philadelphia, PA – November 3, 2009 -  Leading fashion retailer VILLA is partnering with The Timberland Company and Wyclef Jean to launch the new Timberland^® Earthkeepers™ Yéle Haiti Collection in Philadelphia.  On Wednesday, November 4, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., the Grammy award-winning musician and humanitarian will make an in-store appearance at VILLA’s 1018 Market Street location, where he will talk about the Timberland collaboration and his Yéle Haiti organization, and conduct a meet and greet with fans.

VILLA is the first location in the Philadelphia area to be carrying the Yéle Haiti collection, co-developed by Wyclef and Timberland under the popular Timberland® Earthkeepers™ line.  For every pair sold, $2 will be donated to Wyclef’s Yéle Haiti organization to support reforestation efforts in his homeland of Haiti.  The Yéle Haiti collection is comprised of 16 styles of boots for men, women and kids, made from a variety of recycled and organic materials. On November 4, anyone purchasing the Earthkeepers™ Yéle Haiti boot at VILLA will also receive a free CD copy of the brand-new mixtape EP DJ Drama Presents Wyclef Jean A.K.A. Toussaint St. Jean From The Hut To The Projects To The Mansion.

Wyclef Jean is one of six Earthkeeper Heroes within Timberland’s 2009 Earthkeepers program, which aims to catalyze a movement of environmental and social activists. A first for both Wyclef Jean and The Timberland Company, this innovative partnership fuses music, product, digital and social media, service events and concerts to motivate and inspire consumers to take action in protecting the environment.

VILLA was chosen to be a local partner because of the company’s 20 years of leadership in fashion, and their strong commitment to community service and revitalizing the areas the company serves. Wyclef and Timberland share this passion for improving communities. In 2005, Wyclef founded Yéle Haiti to build global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through various educational, social, and environmental programs.  Timberland has long advocated global social justice and environmental stewardship, planting more than one million trees and greening 300 communities worldwide.

Event Details

Who: Wyclef Jean

Where: VILLA, 1018 Market Street

When: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

What: Release of Timberland Earthkeepers™ Yéle Haiti collection, co-designed by Wyclef Jean; Wyclef meet and greet and CD giveaway; Q&A about Yéle Haiti organization

About VILLA

Celebrating 20 years in business, VILLA delivers the best fashion from head to toe within a high energy environment designed to be a neighborhood hub for entertainment, conversation, and even community involvement.  Costumers can watch the basketball game on one of the many flat screen televisions, while surfing the Internet, purchasing tickets to a local concert or finding out about an upcoming neighborhood beautification project – all while browsing a selection that includes premium merchandise from Timberland, Nike, Jordan, Adidas, Puma, New Era, and much more.

With 25 stores centered in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and Delaware urban neighborhoods, for VILLA, selling sneakers is an entry-point – in the vein of ‘meeting them where they are’. Unlike other major retailers that benefit from inner city dollars, VILLA gives back to the community where it resides by hiring only within the community, providing each of its employees with financial planning assistance, educational assistance, and leadership training that benefits them on the job and in their community, and  having the community as a whole participate in the company’s endeavors, complimentary of VILLA’s mission of change. With VILLA’s assistance, many of the store’s managers have been able to purchase homes and go back to school. Visit www.ruvilla.com for more information.

About Yéle Haiti and Yéle Vert

Yéle Haiti is a grassroots movement that builds global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Yéle’s community service programs include food distribution and mobilizing emergency relief. The Yéle Vert program combines community based agroforestry, environmental education and social marketing into a new and sustainable program of tree planting, agricultural improvement and environmental restoration. Grammy Award-winning musician, humanitarian and Goodwill Ambassador to Haiti Wyclef Jean founded Yéle Haiti in 2005. For more information please go to www.yele.org.

About Timberland

Timberland (NYSE: TBL) is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. Timberland markets products under the Timberland®, Timberland PRO®, Mountain Athletics®, SmartWool®, Timberland Boot Company™, howies® and IPATH® brands, all of which offer quality workmanship and detailing and are built to withstand the elements of nature. The company’s products can be found in leading department and specialty stores as well as Timberland® retail stores throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, South Africa and the Middle East. Timberland’s dedication to making quality products is matched by the company’s commitment to “doing well and doing good” — forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland, please visit www.timberland.com.

About Timberland Earthkeepers

Timberland Earthkeepers movement and the Timberland Earthkeepers product collection are extensions of the company’s legacy of “doing well and doing good.” Designed to inform, inspire and engage 1 million people around the world in community-based environmental stewardship, the Earthkeepers movement is a catalyst for Timberland’s commitment to forging creative partnerships for the betterment of the communities in which the company lives and works. The Timberland® Earthkeepers™ product line, which is rapidly becoming the company’s top selling line of boots, was the inspiration for the Earthkeepers movement. The Earthkeepers™ product is the pinnacle expression of the company’s environmental commitment. To learn more, visit www.earthkeeper.com.

Visit www.ruvilla.com for more information.