FASHION & CHARITY

By Kevin Allen

Fashion Icons That Make a Difference 

Naomi Campbell at the Fashion For Relief show

Although the fashion world celebrates style, luxury and exclusivity, many high profile people within the industry work to make a difference in charities, events and humanitarian causes by actually experiencing problems first hand. Although singers such as Bono and Sting are now somewhat synonymous with their tremendous charity work, the work done by fashion icons such as Gisele Bundchen, Angelina Jolie and Naomi Campbell (to name a few) are helping to generate exposure to some great humanitarian causes. 

Angelina Jolie became U.N. Goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Refugee agency. Providing a face and much needed exposure to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Angelina Jolie has also worked with her husband Brad Pitt to found the Jolie-Pitt foundation that assists in humanitarian crisis throughout the world. Recently they donated $340,000 to an aid initiative in Somalia to support 300 women and children every day in the country�s Badbaaado Refugee camp, just outside Mogadishu. Somalia has the largest percentage of people in their population that are displaced from their homes. 

Angelina Jolie (Photo courtesy of Zimbio)

Gisele Bundchen�s work to protect the Amazon Rainforest in her home country of Brazil has led her to being named as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). As part of this work she has visited the Amazon Rainforest on numerous occasions visiting the logging companies, political lobbyists and the indigenous tribes that are affected by the deforestation. 

In order to support the aid effort associated with the Japanese Tsunami Naomi Campbell organized a Fashion For Relief event at the Cannes Film Festival. In addition to this, Naomi�s charity work has helped children and people of sub-Saharan Africa, which she has visited on numerous occasions. 

Fashion For Relief show (Photo courtesy of Zimbio)

The aim of supporting a charity as a fashion icon or celebrity is generally two fold. The first is to give publicity and exposure to the cause. The second is to assist generating much needed funds to support the good work that others do.

So who can make a difference? The simple answer to this is anyone can whether you�re a fashion icon, model or not. Anybody so long as they have the drive and determination to do something they feel passionate about.

By Kevin Allen

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