It’s an ambitious endeavour. In 2012 alone, 260,000 children were newly affected in sub-Saharan countries, where 700 HIV-infected children are born every day, the majority through transmission at birth, something of a rarity in countries in the US and Europe, where treatment is more readily available. According to Born Free, half of all these children will die before the age of two, if they do not receive treatment.
Now, the organisation is adding a powerful message to its campaign by collaborating with the big names in fashion, amongst them Vogue editor, Anna Wintour , as well as 22 fashion designers. Commissioned to make clothing from custom-made prints by Kenyan artist, Wangechi Mutu and shot by Patrick Demarchelier, who works for the likes of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, the pictures of models posing with children has created a visually arresting movement.
The star cast includes Stella McCartney, Donna Karan, Donatella Versace, Diane von Furstenburg, Vera Wang, Ivanka Trump and Alberta Ferretti. Items on sale include a Tory Burch tote, a Gisele Bundchen baby bib, a pair of Jenna Lyons drawstring trousers (for J. Crew), a Prada pleated skirt, an Isabel Marant peasant blouse, a Sarah Burton scarf and baby blanket (for Alexander McQueen) and an Alberta Ferretti tunic dress. Most are priced for less than 250 USD and are sold exclusively through Shopbop, the Amazon fashion site. All proceeds go towards getting the treatment that prevents an HIV-infected mother from passing the disease on to her unborn child.
What’s more, Condé Nast is donating the funds from all of its new subscriptions, made during the Born Free promotion, which runs in May and June. Meanwhile, the M.A.C AIDS Fund, has pledged to match dollar for dollar sales and donations to the Born Free fund, up to the amount of 500,000 USD.
This isn’t the first time the celebrity world has involved itself in philanthropy but it is proof of how private sector charities are increasingly becoming a force with which to be reckoned.
