I recently had the privilege of becoming a friend
of the amazing charity, Designers Against Aids. Founded in Belgium in 2004 by
Ninette Murk under the mother organisation 'Beauty Without Irony', the aim of
Designers Against Aids is to raise awareness of HIV/Aids and to keep the issue
in international media. They have a particular interest in reaching young
people in the western world which they do by enlisting the help of well known
figures in popular culture; musicians, actors, models, sportspeople, designers
etc.
Their primary messages are 'Prevention is the only
cure for HIV/AIDS‘ (protect yourself and your partner) and ‘Know your status’
(get tested) which they promote through printing the designs of various
celebrities on to T-shirts, hoods, bags and even condom holders. As well as
their clothing collection, which they sell through their online store, an
initiative called 'Models Agains Aids' where models promote safe sex and an
International HIV/Aids awareness centre in Antwerp, they also have a long
standing collaboration with H&M. 'Fashion Against Aids', where clothing
items are sold in H&M stores in more than 30 countries around the world has
been a huge success and artists such as Timbaland, Pharell, Rihanna, Dita von
Teese, Katherine Hamnett, Katy Perry and many more have been involved.
What a brilliant organisation, right? I'm very
pleased to be involved and doing my bit, however small. Their logo, which is
printed on all their goods features the website address, www.designersagainstaids.com
so that everyone who comes across it can head over to the site to
read up and find ways to get involved in the cause. So what are you waiting
for? Click the link and see for yourself...
