Project iChimp Will Donate iPods to Chimps

A New York City clothing company says it will support "technologically impaired" chimpanzees with funds from its new clothing line – only no guarantees.

Before you consider donating to charities that support the less fortunate, clothing maker Nemesys wants you to think of the chimpanzees. Through the company’s bizarre new Project iChimp, it claims it will donate 8GB Apple iPhones and 8GB iPod Touches to “chimpanzees in need” around the United States using funds from the sale of its new 2007 Beginnings clothing collection.

“There are many firms in the world which aid people in need, but there are few firms looking to help technologically impaired chimpanzees,” said Nemesys Clothing CEO Umair Hussain, in a statement. “We believe that chimpanzees should have the opportunity to be able to swing from trees while watching fellow chimps do the same thing on YouTube.”

Though the campaign is quite obviously a publicity stunt for the company, it isn’t clear whether it will foster public amusement, or ire from serious charities. A brief disclaimer on Nemesys’ Web site makes it clear that its offer is almost certainly a farce: the company will set aside a maximum of five percent of net profits to fund Project iChimp, and explicitly makes no guarantee of when or if any chimp will ever actually receive an iPhone or iPod touch.