The A to Z of stylish giving
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A is for A-Cold-Wall*
Fashion designer Samuel Ross first launched his grant for businesses during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, sharing £25,000 between 10 names across a range of disciplines. It has since morphed into the Black British Artist Grant, an annual programme giving a leg up to figures within the arts and addressing diversity and visibility across the creative sector. a-cold-wall.com; community.samuel-ross.com
B is for Boghossian
The sixth-generation jeweller first established its foundation to aid the rebuilding of Armenia after an earthquake in 1988. Since then, it has funded philanthropic projects in Armenia, Lebanon and Syria, including restoring schools, providing education and funding cultural centres. In 2006, the maison bought Villa Empain in Brussels, restoring the house and turning it into a Centre of Art and Dialogue between eastern and western cultures. boghossianjewels.com
C is for Brunello Cucinelli
The Italian designer is known for his support of local artisans, as well as funding restoration projects around Italy, particularly in Solomeo, where his business is based. In 2020, Cucinelli funded the rebuilding of the Civic Tower Norcia, Perugia, after an earthquake, and this year announced the investment of €1mn in the Himalayan Regenerative Fashion Living Lab, which helps develop regenerative farming and support textile makers in the area. brunellocucinelli.com
D is for DeMellier
The London-based handbag brand has a permanent initiative, A Bag, A Life, that donates money to SOS Children’s Villages with every purchase. So far DeMellier has funded more than 350,000 vaccines and treatments. demellierlondon.com; soschildrensvillages.org.uk
E is for Elephant Crisis Fund
Tiffany has raised more than $10mn to help protect elephants through its Save The Wild collection, which it first launched in 2017 to support on-the-ground conservation. The initiative also helps to save lions and rhinos and, most recently, koalas in Australia through the Wildlife Conservation Network. tiffany.com
F is for Fashion Expressions
Prada Group has partnered with the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency on a pilot providing young women from Ghana and Kenya with fashion skills. Fashion Expressions: The Stories She Wears is a six-month programme focusing on teaching practical techniques in local styles, upcycled fashion, traditional textile design and financial literacy. pradagroup.com; unfpa.org
G is for Guerlain
Angelina Jolie is the recognisable face behind Women for Bees, a collaboration between Guerlain and Unesco aimed at encouraging female beekeeping. The programme has two objectives: to drive women’s emancipation through professional beekeeping and to raise awareness of how essential bees are to Earth’s biodiversity. guerlain.com; unesco.com
H is for Harry Winston
The New York jeweller supports initiatives including Junior Achievement Worldwide, one of the world’s top 10 NGOs helping more than 10 million young people a year with education, opportunities and skills. Harry Winston invests in curriculum and learning focused on life skills, work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. harrywinston.com/philanthropy
I is for Issey Miyake
The late designer’s foundation was launched in 2004 as part of an effort to promote and cultivate Japanese craftsmanship, and was designated a “public interest foundation” in 2011. Today it focuses on preserving Miyake’s legacy and developing the design culture for a new generation. miyakeissey.org
J is for JW Anderson
British designer Jonathan Anderson has donated to Akt, an LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity, through his eponymous fashion brand since 2020. Past fundraisers include a T-shirt illustrated by Pol Anglada and an NFT version of the designer’s viral patchwork cardigan worn by Harry Styles. akt.org.uk; jwanderson.com
K is for Michael Kors
Each year the designer runs the Watch Hunger Stop campaign to raise funds for the United Nations World Food Programme, a charity the brand has supported since 2013. This year’s drop includes a limited-edition tote and pouch. You can also pick up merchandise from previous collections or make a direct donation. All profits from the sale go towards the programme. michaelkors.com; wfp.org
L is for Lemlem
Model Liya Kebede has made social change central to her fashion brand Lemlem, which she founded in 2007 to preserve traditional Ethiopian weaving. The Lemlem Foundation, the brand’s philanthropic arm, supports programmes that promote access to healthcare, job opportunities and responsible production, and is funded through a donation of five per cent of all online sales. lemlem.com
M is for Thebe Magugu
In support of the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, which was founded in 2007 to support southern African youth, Dior has teamed up with 2019 LVMH Prize winner Thebe Magugu on a capsule collection, aiming to highlight emerging designers and provide work for producers in South Africa. Magugu’s designs include a print symbolic of sisterhood that appears on a T-shirt, the Diorcamp bag and a silk scarf. charlizeafricaoutreach.org; dior.com
N is for Ninety Percent
The Camden-based fashion brand was founded with a mission: to reinvest 90 per cent of its profits back into the people who make its clothes along with causes including War Child UK, WildAid and Brac, which empowers women living in poverty. ninetypercent.com
O is for OnSide
The Burberry Foundation has forged a new partnership with national youth charity OnSide to create safe and nurturing spaces for young people to find and grow their passions. Burberry’s support will include a donation to provide network systems, training and guidance; keep its Youth Zones open for at least four hours each day throughout winter; and offer at least 5,000 people a free cooked meal. burberry.com; onsideyouthzones.org
P is for Pink Pony
Ralph Lauren’s Pink Pony was set up in 2000 to ensure access to cancer treatment is available to everyone at an early stage. It follows Lauren’s co-founding of the Nina Hyde Centre for Breast Cancer Research in 1989, among other causes geared toward cancer research and treatment throughout his career. This year the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation announced a $25mn commitment to five cancer centres across America. ralphlauren.co.uk
Q is for McQueen
The British luxury brand is a longtime supporter of the arts, with the late founder Lee McQueen setting up the Sarabande Foundation, designed to nurture creatives. Current creative director Sarah Burton has continued this legacy with initiatives including supporting youth arts projects in London’s Tower Hamlets. alexandermcqueen.com
R is for Rolex
The watch brand launched its Perpetual Planet initiative in 2019, aimed at raising funds and awareness to protect the planet. This year Rolex is supporting Under The Pole’s Deeplife exploration programme, which studies marine animal forests in the Canary Islands. rolex.com; underthepole.org
S is for Seiko
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors has a foundation to promote ocean conservation. Seiko donates proceeds from the sale of its Prospex Glacier watch, helping the world’s largest underwater clean-up initiative. padi.com; seikowatches.com
T is for Tod’s
Diego Della Valle, the CEO of the Italian fashion house, is a longtime supporter of restoration projects around Italy, including that of the Colosseum in Rome. Since 2012, the Tod’s Group has pledged to donate one per cent of its annual net profits to social responsibility efforts, particularly in the Marche region, where it funds an anti-violence centre, a social farming project and community courses and activities. tods.com
U is for Unicef
Louis Vuitton has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund since 2016, providing help to refugees and those displaced by natural disasters around the world. Through the sale of bracelets and pendants, the brand has raised more than $20mn to provide water, immunisations and educational tools to those in need. louisvuittonforunicef.com
V is for Visual Aids
Acne Studios has collaborated with the estate of artist Larry Stanton, who died during the Aids epidemic, on a collection in support of charity Visual Aids. The capsule includes T-shirts, a blanket and a scarf, festooned with Stanton’s signature illustrations, and all the sale proceeds will be donated. acnestudios.com; visualaids.org
W is for World Food Programme
Balenciaga’s relationship with the charity dates back to 2018, when the brand released accessories and hoodies that read “saving lives, changing lives”, with a portion of the proceeds from each sale donated to WFP. This year, the partnership provides food assistance to those fleeing the Ukraine conflict. balenciaga.com; wfp.org
X is for Xuly.Bët
Lamine Kouyaté’s brand – which was a darling of Paris’s fashion scene in the ’90s, and underwent a reboot in 2016 – has always been politically engaged. Today, Xuly.Bët is part of La Braderie Solidaire and uses collaborations to raise money for an association battling against Aids and for La Maison des Femmes, which helps victims of domestic abuse. xulybet.com
Y is for You Must Create
Unisex fashion brand YMC supports The Avenues Youth Project, a west London-based charity established in 1979 to give educational and recreational opportunities to local youth. It has collaborated on a T-shirt with an image by photographer Ulrike Preuss depicting Stevie Wonder, with 100 per cent of proceeds going to the charity. avenues.org.uk; youmustcreate.com
Z is for Zegna
The Italian menswear brand’s Fondazione was established in 2000, focusing on four pillars: education and the arts; conservation; community development; and health and medical research. The brand has restored forests and national parks in Italy, commissioned public art and helped launch a social cooperative to improve the prospects of young people. fondazionezegna.org
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