With fashion from Wales Bonner and Simone Rocha, and personal pieces from Jeremy Corbyn and Brigitte Lacombe, the charity auction raises urgent funds for Doctors Without Borders
For many who receive their news through social media, there’s been a profound silence on platforms like Instagram and Facebook about the genocide in Gaza, thanks to the prohibition or shadow banning of ‘political’ content. But the siege has waged on, and after almost ten months, over 38,000 Palestinians have been killed and a further 90,000 injured. Without adequate intervention and aid from our international governments, a global creative community has been bound together to establish initiatives that offer help to the conflict’s countless victims. These include Arts for Impact, a charity auction which aims to raise funds to support urgent medical care in Palestine through the charity Doctors Without Borders.
Starting tomorrow (July 25) on Palestinian Traditional Dress Day at 7pm, the online auction is set to include items and experiences that have been offered up by prominent figures in the worlds of fashion, music, architecture, literature and art. One of Castro Smith’s incredible hand-engraved signet rings is up for grabs, along with one of Wales Bonner’s collegiate-style jackets from the designer’s recent collection. Other fashion contributors include Nicholas Daley, Wed Studio, Paolina Russo, Paria Farzaneh, and Simone Rocha.
The Academy Award-nominated musician Mica Levi will offer up a personal guitar pedal, architect Sumayya Vally will create a one-off sketch, and fashion designer Duro Olowu will share two rare dresses. Hour-long personal masterclasses from writer Fatima Bhutto, artist Lubna Chowdhary and stylist Azza Yousif will be available for bids. Jeremy Corbyn, Brigitte Lacombe, Kingsley Ifill, Sylvie Macmillan, Nabihah Iqbal, George Riley and many more join the Arts for Impact silent charity auction with unique pieces including, personal clothing, signed artworks and prints, and one-off experiences.
The initiative is founded by four creatives – Moon Hussain, the British designer and founder of Paris-based creative consultancy Studio Moon; Caroline Issa, chief executive and fashion director of Tank; presenter and creative commissioner Lea Ogunlami; and Central Saint Martins first-year fashion design tutor Rahemur Rahman. 100 per cent of the proceeds from the auction go directly to Doctors Without Borders, the international humanitarian organisation providing medical care in Gaza, where over 1.7 million people are estimated to be forcibly displaced and living in appalling conditions that are unsafe and unhealthy, without adequate shelter, food, water or medical care. This number represents nearly 75 per cent of Gaza’s population.
The Arts for Impact begins at 7pm on July 25 and lasts until 11pm on August 15, with 100 per cent of the proceeds from the auction going directly to Doctors Without Borders upon completion of winning bid payments via the Givergy auction partner platform.