The
Round Table Discussion and Press Conference was led by
H.E. Ambassador Cesare Ragaglini, Permanent
Representative of Italy to the United Nations, Robert
Orr, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy
Planning, United Nations, Ray Chambers, MDG
Advocate and Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for
Malaria, Evie Evangelou, Co-founder and Global
Chair of Fashion 4 Development, and Franca Sozzani,
Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia and Goodwill Ambassador
for Fashion 4 Development.
Orr, Ragaglini,
Chambers, Evangelou and Sozzani expounded
on the synergies between private sector engagement,
particularly within the fashion industry and the UN.
Sozzani presented and discussed the groundbreaking
May/June 2012 issue of L’Uomo Vogue, which
was dedicated to the topic of Rebranding Africa,
and which featured UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
on the cover. Ki-moon launched Every Woman Every
Child in 2010.
New
commitments to F4D and the Every Woman Every Child
initiative were announced by Janice Sullivan, CEO
of EDUN; Ruth deGolia, Executive Director
of Mercado Global; Karen Giberson,
president of The Accessories Council;
Alejandra Cicognani for Illaria Venturini Fendi,
president of Carmina Campus; Mimi Crume,
VP of Global Communications for Assouline Publishing;
Esther Tavor, Co-founder of Frenchway Travel;
Alexandra Taylor of the Alexandra Taylor
Collection; Voguevert.com;
and Fashion Designers Without
Borders.
Evangelou
and Sozzani presented the latest updates regarding
current F4D initiatives, and announced news regarding
the second annual First Ladies Luncheon.
AnAnnual F4D awareness event taking place this
year on September 25th at the Pierre Hotel in
NYC, Evangelou announced the co-hosts and topics of this
year’s First Ladies Luncheon.
“My
esteemed co-hosts this year will be Franca Sozzani, H.E.
Toyin Saraki and Her Royal
Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway,”
with special honored guests including actor Colin
Firth and Livia Firth, founder of the Green
Carpet Challenge, first ladies of politics, royalty and
leading ladies of music, film and fashion from around
the globe,” stated Evangelou. “Together, we will
announce F4D’s next region of focus in 2013, have a
fashion show finale and more….
and we will continue to create awareness for Every
Woman Every Child in partnership with the WellBeing
Foundation of Africa.”
Evangelou
and Sozzani then proudly announced the organizations new
initiatives: the WFDP’s Giving Back Bazaar
series in Asia; The Beauty 4 Empowerment
Initiative; the F4D Founding Women’s Circle;
a partnership with Sustainia to launch the
Sustainia Fashion Shoppe; a distribution deal
with Yoox.com for African designers; partnership
with Pinko in Europe to feature young designer
talent; project developments with top designers
including Roberto Cavalli, Alberta Ferretti and
Donatella Versace; and a partnership with
Fcubed to bring
clean water to Africa.
F4D’s
non-profit arm in Seoul, Korea, WFDP which
Evangelou is Chair of, will launch a series of Giving
Back Bazaars in Asia in late 2012 led by Kija
Chung Vice Chair of WFDP, which will raise money for
WFDP’s scholarship programs. It is planned to launch
this Bazaar concept in other continents worldwide by
2015.
The
Beauty 4 Empowerment initiative will be launched
and led by F4D’s Vice Chair Dr. Shirley Madhere.
As fashion goes hand-in-hand with beauty, F4D has tapped
the beauty industry as well as the fashion industry to
help empower, enrich, and educate. This initiative will
expand F4D’s overall reach and will formally launch in
the fall of 2012.
The
F4D Founding Women’s Circle will be a select,
forward-thinking and powerful group of women who have
embraced the F4D ideals. It will be led by its Chair
and Founding Woman, Cassandra Seidenfeld, who
will be assembling a group of New York’s elite
philanthropists who want to give back and make a genuine
difference in the world.
F4D
has partnered with Sustainia an initiative led by
the largest think tank in Scandinavia, Monday
Morning to develop the Sustainia Fashion Shoppe,
which will distribute eco-sustainable fashion from
around the globe with a special interest in supporting
the distribution of products from developing countries.
The formal announcement will be made at the Sustainia
Awards in Copenhagen this fall.
F4D
has also worked out a program to supply Uganda with
approximately $400,00 in iron supplements and vitamins
for pregnant women and small children in need of
supplements, and is working with Fcubed to launch a
clean water program with the
Fcubed technology that cleans even the most infested water.
About
Fashion4Development
“ Giving Back is the New Luxury”
Fashion 4 Development (“F4D”) is a global awareness
campaign that unites diplomacy, media, business and the
creative industries for the purpose of helping to
achieve the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). F4D is a global platform with partners
interested in the universal investment in people and the
planet. In full support of theUnited Nations, F4D seeks
to harness the power of the fashion and beauty
industries to implement creative strategies for
sustainable economic growth and autonomy for individuals
and communities worldwide. The core principles that
underlie the mission of Fashion 4 Development dare to
Educate, Empower, Enhance, and Enrich the lives of all
those involved in its cooperative effort.
About Every Woman Every Child
Launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the
United Nations Millennium Development Goals Summit in
September 2010, Every Woman Every Child is a global
effort that brings together governments, international
organizations, civil society and the private sector with
the aim to save the lives of 16 million women and
children by 2015 and improve the lives of millions more.
To date, almost 200 partners have joined Every Woman
Every Child. All common efforts put into action the
Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, which
presents a roadmap on how to enhance financing,
strengthen policy and improve service on the ground for
the most vulnerablewomen and children.
NEW
COMMITMENTS ANNOUNCED AT ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION AND
PRESS CONFERENCE ON FASHION 4 DEVELOPMENT (F4D)
Thursday, June 28th, 2012 – United Nations,
NYC
EDUN
The global
fashion brand bringing about positive change through its
trading relationship with Africa, founded on the belief
that fashion and social responsibility go hand-in-hand.
This was the vision of Ali Hewson and Bono when they
conceptualized EDUN over seven years ago, and it
continues to be the company mission.
Janice Sullivan,
CEO of EDUN, explained that the brand manufactures in
seven Africancountries and has a goal of producing at
least 40% of the collection in Africa in 2013. Through
the Conservation Cotton Initiative started in
2009, EDUN has supported over 6,000 farmers in northern
Uganda. This program continues to thrive and aims to
reach 10,000 farmers by 2015.
“EDUN is
continuously seeking new materials, factories, and
artisans throughout Africa in the design and development
of its’ fashion collection, and also cares deeply for
the people EDUN works with through its 3rd
party suppliers and factories,” stated Sullivan. “We
require rigorous compliance standards for safety, health
and well-being, and we commit to promote good
health practices in support of Every Woman Every
Child.”
She
continued, “Our belief is that trade creates a
sustainable economy that supports families by employing
both men and many, many women. We believe in the role
that fashion can play in support of the Millennium
Development Goals and we applaud the work of Fashion 4
Development in creating this global platform to advance
these goals.”
Mercado
Global
An
organization that works in Guatemala in communities with
low levels of literacy, high levels of chronic childhood
malnutrition, and a widespread lack of access to basic
healthcare.
Ruth deGolia,
Executive Director of Mercado Global, announced at the
Round Table Discussion Mercado Global’s commitment to
supporting the efforts of Every Woman Every Child
by doubling the number of women and children that
Mercado Global engages with, over the next three years.
Mercado Global pledged to launch an Educate to
Empower Campaign to bring their business model, in
support of the most disadvantaged women, to more
communities in Guatemala’s highlands. In addition,
deGolia announced that Mercado Global will recruit more
major retailers in the U.S. to join with the current
sales partners of Mercado Global in having “profits
through principles”- leveraging their market power to
source products that sell well, while helping to advance
the Millennium Development Goals.
The Accessories Council
A
not-for-profit, national advocacy organization with the
mission to stimulate consumer awareness and demand for
fashion accessory products.
Karen
Giberson,
President of the Accessories Council, announced a
commitment to broker partnerships among the Council’s
participants and local designers and producers in
developing countries, and to support viable and
sustainable distribution of fashion products from
developing countries through the Council’s members.
“The
Accessories Council includes 160 fashion brands,
retailers, wholesalers and fashion support agencies,”
explained Giberson. “We commit to raise awareness among
members on the health and education needs in developing
countries. These needs can be met through sustainable
engagement and active partnerships with local designers
and producers, to promote women’s empowerment and their
health, in support of EveryWoman Every Child.”
Carmina Campus
With her
new line of bags, fashion scion Illaria Venturini Fendi
is spinning cast-off material into chic carryalls- and
changing lives in Africa in the process.
Alejandra Cicognani for
Illaria Venturini Fendi
announced that Carmina Campus will increase its production in Africa by a
minimum of 20% in 2013. She pledged to continue to
bring her knowledge of fashion design and craftsmanship
from Italy to African countries, as well as to Haiti and
other developing countries, and announced that she will
promote women’s empowerment and health in support of
Every Woman Every Child.
Assouline
Publishing
Since 1994,
Assouline has expanded to publish over 1,000 titles
across international markets. Assouline books are
distributed worldwide in the company’s own luxury brand
boutiques and fine retailers including Bergdorf Goodman,
Neiman Marcus and Sotheby’s.
Mimi Crume,
VP of Global Communications for Assouline Publishing,
announced that within the umbrella of F4D, Assouline is
committed to creating public awareness of the creative
talent and style that exists in developing countries
through beautiful books and special events. These books
and events will aim to inspire public attention,
positive branding and consumer purchases of their
fashion and lifestyle products. On September 6th,
during Fashion’s Night Out, Assouline and F4D will host
their first event celebrating Fashion Books 4
Development, which includes Africa is in Style, at the
Assouline Store at the Plaza.
Frenchway
Travel
A travel
agency specializing in corporate, group and high-profile
client and company travel arrangements.
Esther
Tavor,
Co-founder of Frenchway Travel, announced a partnership
with Fashion 4 Development to raise awareness among its
clients, which include fashion companies, film
production companies, modeling agencies, artists and
international high-profile clients, on the health and
education needs in developing countries.
“We believe
that F4D’s philosophy ‘not charity-just work’ is
the most effective way to fight global poverty,” said
Tavor. “Frenchway Travel is delighted and excited to be
part of F4D.
Alexandra
Taylor Collection
Alexandra
Taylor, a graduate from Parsons The New School for
Design, launched her first women’s ready-to-wear
collection in 2010 aspiring to merge fashion and
philanthropy.
Alexandra Taylor
of the Alexandra Taylor Collection committed support to
Fashion 4 Development and presented the collaborative
F4D shawl, a statement piece that represents her pledge
to build sustainable economic growth for disenfranchised
men, women, and children through a more
socially-conscious fashion initiative. Taylor also
declared her commitment to begin working with Fashion 4
Development on a capsule collection, which will be
produced in a developing nation to foster needed
economic progress. She looks forward to partnering with
Fashion 4 Development to ignite a global initiative for
change.
VOGUEVERT.COM
An
e-commerce company that discovers, collects and curates
consciously-created fashion items. It donates one
dollar of every purchased item and 10% of overall
profits to the VogueVertCharitableFoundation, which
funds scholarships for design students.
VOGUEVERT.COM
announced its commitment to distributing fashion
products from developing countries in the effort to
increase jobs for women in support of F4D.
Fashion
Designers Without Borders
The first
travel program offering trips tailored to design
industry professionals.
Fashion
Designers Without Borders announced its support of F4D
to expand sourcing potential in developing countries.