Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, MyTheresa has asked 12 designers to each donate a personal item to an auction raising funds for Mothers2mothers, a charity working to prevent the mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Alessandro Michele, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Miuccia Prada, Demna Gvasalia, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Jonathan Anderson have all donated pieces, including artworks, signed books, vintage jewellery and, of course, one-off fashion collectibles, to the cause.
Michael Kliger, president of MyTheresa, was taken aback by the response to the call-out. “Donating items that have a personal meaning makes the charity auction both special and meaningful,” he said regarding the one-off pieces that will go on sale come International Women’s Day.
The e-tailer will also add the work of eight female photographers, which was commissioned for the second iteration of its print offering The Album, into the auction to bolster sales – 100 per cent of which will go to the NGO. “We celebrate women every day,” Emma France, global development and strategic engagement director at Mothers2mothers, added of the organisation’s work. “We believe in the power of women to create change in their own lives, and those of their families and communities in South Africa.” The 3,000 “wonder women” – HIV-positive women who are trained and employed by Mothers2mothers to give life-saving support and health advice to affected communities – are a prime example of this.
Browse the “personal matters” below to find out why each piece is significant to the designer it belonged to, and get behind to a consumer initiative that has pledged to make a difference and will deliver on its promise.
