In response to the current crisis resulting from the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11th, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Board of Directors is galvanizing the fashion industry’s participation in a “Fashion & Friends for Japan” fundraiser to benefit the victims of the natural disasters.
Kicking off on Tuesday, April 5th, the CFDA is hosting an online auction at luxury charity auction site charitybuzz.com. All proceeds will benefit the Japan Society’s Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, which will funnel 100% of the monies to front-line organizations in Japan assisting in the short and long-term recovery.
“The crisis in Japan is something that has affected us all and as a community and industry we felt a responsibility to act,” said Steven Kolb, Executive Director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. "This initiative hits very close to home as many members of the CFDA community have close business ties and partnerships in Japan and we view this is an extension of the work we accomplished in the “Fashion for Haiti” initiative. The response we have received has been overwhelming and we continue to encourage donations and support."
Motoatsu Sakurai, Japan Society President responded, “We are humbled by the generosity of CFDA members’ donations. We thank you for your support and for raising awareness of Japan in a time of crisis.”
Through an outpouring of support from the fashion community, the CFDA has already secured over 100 donations for the “Fashion & Friends for Japan” initiative. A sampling of the donations received include:
- Bid on a chance to meet Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour and attend a photo shoot for the magazine
- One full week’s stay at the private home of Diane von Furstenberg in the Bahamas
- Ralph Lauren's Paris – Two Round Trip Business Class Tickets from NYC to Paris, two nights at the Bristol Hotel in a deluxe room, dinner for two at Ralph’s, the quintessential American restaurant in Paris, a 1,000 euro shopping experience at the Ralph Lauren store on St. Germain, and two tickets to visit “The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces of the Ralph Lauren Collection,” an exclusive exhibit of Mr. Lauren’s vintage automobiles featured at the Musée des Arts décoratifs.
- Live like a Vanity Fair writer for a day—minus the torture of actually reporting and writing. The winning bidder will take a tour of the Vanity Fair offices, have lunch with one of the editors, sit in on a meeting in Graydon Carter’s office, and then finish off the day with a dinner for four at Mr. Carter’s restaurant, The Monkey Bar.
- Morning, Noon & Night with Tory Burch – Morning: $3,000 shopping spree at Tory Burch with a personal stylist; Noon: Lunch with Tory and the design team;
Night: 2 tickets and backstage passes to Jay-Z and Kanye West's concert - Lunch and style consultation with celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, includes a tour of her offices and additional styling tips from her team
- Go behind the scenes with The Hilfigers at the Spring 2012 Tommy Hilfiger ad campaign shoot. Get prepped out in a full Tommy Hilfiger look at the brand’s Fifth Avenue store before having your photograph taken with the Hilfigers.
- A meet and greet with The Row designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen plus an entire wardrobe of Elizabeth and James and The Row Collections
- Two tickets to the Elton John Oscar’s Party
- The opportunity to intern for a day at Elle Magazine along with a personal fashion consultation with Elle Creative Director Joe Zee
- Have a Barbie custom made by Mattel in your likeness, valued at over $10,000
- Courtesy of DKNY, enjoy a “VIP” experience at Yankee Stadium for four guests. Experience includes a private tour of Monument Park followed by watching the Yankees’ batting practice from the field, followed by a meet and greet with Yankees Manager Joe Girardi. Afterwards, watch the Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Rays on July 9th, 2011, from four front row Legends Suite seats
- A lunch and style consultation with TV Personality and Project Runway Judge Tim Gunn
- Two tickets to the Vera Wang Spring Summer 2012 Fashion Show followed by a meet and greet with the designer and a $2000 shopping spree at the Vera Wang flagship store
- The opportunity to personalize a PS1 ‘it’ bag with Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez
- A “Made to Measure Experience” custom suit and fitting from designer Tom Ford
- Eight tickets to the Metropolitan Opera and dinner with Lincoln Center President Reynold Levy
- Two tickets to a live filming of “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” along with private cocktails with host Andy Cohen following the filming
- And many, many more……….
The initiative will move forward with the support of the entire fashion industry and will be an ongoing effort. There is no current deadline for donation submissions and the CFDA encourages all members of the fashion community to continue to submit their donations and support.
To make a donation or to request more information about how you can make a contribution to the initiative please contact japan@cfda.com. For a full list of auction items, visit www.charitybuzz.com/FashionandFriendsforJapan.
