In 2010, Ali Hewson and Bono appear wearing EDUN in a Louis Vuitton campaign, shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz in Africa.[1]
The company's supply chain has included countries outside of Africa.[2]
Since its founding in 2005, Edun Live has produced 700,000 African made t-shirts. It's what Hewson calls 100 percent African grow-to-sew initiative.[3]
Edun's Spring 2013 collection was presented in a runway show held in Manhattan's Penn Station. [4]
EDUN is a for-profit contemporary fashion brand that aims to raise awareness of the possibilities in Africa and encourage the fashion community to do business there.[5]
EDUN provides training to workers in factories where its clothes are produced, mainly in Africa. [6]
I mean formatting refs is not a problem at all. You just need the correct tools. Hard things first - Easy things like formatting or spelling later. Keep the discussion on my talk page, and the work here, please :) TheOriginalSoni (talk) 15:29, 25 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The first step will be to gather and add as much as we can from the references. There is a lot of information we are missing. Just take the reference, add the relevant information from there, and add its source tags. TheOriginalSoni (talk) 18:24, 24 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Yes. Now we work. I'm adding the book sources here for you, and you start by adding whatever important stuff each source says. Reference the line you're adding, and once you're done adding that source, collapse it here using -
Hey, SoniSoni!! Sorry i am giving you a lot of problems. I am almost leaving. I will take the references with me and work on it tonight. I promise I'll have something important 2morrow. I have edited some things in the sandbox8. Miss Bono (zootalk)20:27, 24 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
LAUNCHED: The Edun range JOHN MASTERSON – 06 MARCH 2005)
While Edun is a company run for profit, they intend to stay closely linked to the communities they work in. This is in sharp contrast to the empty factories which Ali has seen in the third world with machinery and people idle because "the clothing industry will switch country to save 20 cents on a T-shirt".
"Edun really came out of Bono's trips to Africa andhis very strong impression that the country needed trade more than aid. They don't want to be reliant oncharity for their basic needs.They want to be able to provide their own healthcareand education."
"We are trying to develop a business model that other people can copy, and show that you can produce clothes with a healthy profit and treat people properly. That is what they want. We say we are setting up a company and they ask is it for profit, and they say, 'thank God'. They want to be seen as viable."
The name Edun is a bit of a play on words. It is 'nude' backwards, and sounds like the garden of Eden and suggests a return to nature and the outdoors. I wonderedwas it always one of her passions to found her ownfashion label. -------------- (add correct references)
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"DIESEL + EDUN". diesel.com. THE COLLECTION Using raw, untreated denim, the DIESEL+EDUN collection was built around a reinterpretation of the four-pocket jean of the 1970s popular on the streets of South Africa. Malian textile prints are echoed in the denim lining and across the jersey pieces in the collection. Embroidery details reference traditional Zulu weaving patterns, while the dresses feature Kenyan metalwork. Running through the collection are four original symbols designed to reflect the heart of the DIESEL+EDUN collection.
THE COLLABORATION The DIESEL+EDUN collaboration will engage a global audience with the passion of its founders to raise awareness of the creative opportunities in Africa and build sustainable trade with the continent through fashion - a global loudspeaker for the new African economic and creative paradigm. In January 2012, DIESEL founder Renzo Rosso and EDUN founders Ali Hewson and Bono travelled to Uganda and Mali, where they shared their love of the continent and toured each other’s programs: DIESEL’s Only The Brave Foundation project in Dioro, Mali and EDUN’s Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in Uganda. The experience encouraged them to join forces to further apparel trade and development in Africa under the name DIESEL+EDUN.
CAPTURING AFRICA Explore the photo gallery from the trip to Africa that inspired the collaboration between DIESEL and EDUN. Visit the cotton farms in Uganda with Ali, Bono and Renzo where the collection was born.
STUDIO AFRICA TUMBLR To bring the spirit of the collection to life, DIESEL+EDUN developed the concept of Studio Africa – a virtual loudspeaker for a new generation of creative talents from across the continent. The campaign features nine artists in fashion, film, music, literature, and photography; individuals with both talent and a deep commitment to their respective countries and people. Discover the new hub for Africa’s creative community. Curated and edited by OKAY AFRICA alongside Africa’s most creative, STUDIO AFRICA hosts inspirational, forward thinking creative work originating in or inspired by Africa. Discover the contributors below.
STUDIO AFRICA CAST Meet the catwalk model running a foundation for the education of orphaned girls in Tanzania; the actor creating opportunities for Senegal’s talibé beggar children; the fashion designer building an industry in Côte d’Ivoire one skilled worker at a time; the musician drawing on Belgian and Congolese roots to challenge what it means to make African music today; the writer from Morocco breaking taboos as the first openly gay author in the Arab world; and the photography collective showing their hometown of Soweto, South Africa in a whole new light. Step inside Studio Africa to find out how the cast members are redefining the future on their own terms.
Edun's Mission: Founded on a Commitment to Encourage Trade in Africa
What is Edun? Edun is a global fashion brand bringing about positive change through its trading relationship with Africa. About Edun Founded by Ali Hewson & Bono in 2005, EDUN is a global fashion brand bringing about positive change through its trading relationship with Africa and it’s positioning as a creative force in contemporary fashion. In 2007 EDUN launched its sister line EDUN LIVE, a tee shirt company 100% made in Africa. In 2009, LVMH bought a significant stake in EDUN. LVMH provides essential support, investment and infrastructure to help the business grow into a global fashion brand and support its vision to grow trade in Africa. EDUN actively works to increase trade with Africa and is aiming to produce 40% of its seasonal fashion collection in Africa by 2013. EDUN is building long term, sustainable opportunities by supporting manufacturers, infrastructure and community building initiatives. EDUN is currently working in Kenya, Morocco, Madagascar, Uganda and Tunisia.
DIESEL AND EDUN In January 2012, EDUN founders Ali Hewson and Bono and Diesel founder Renzo Rosso travelled to East and West Africa to share their love of Africa and tour each other’s programs: Diesel’s Only The Brave Foundation project in Dioro, Mali and EDUN’s Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in Uganda. The experience encouraged them to join forces to further apparel trade and development in Africa and thus Diesel+EDUN was born. Spring 2013 will see the launch of the 25-piece denim collection inspired by African creativity and co-designed by Diesel+EDUN. Using raw, untreated denim, it is entirely sourced and manufactured in Africa with the finest CCI cotton from Uganda. Special features include Malian textile prints in the lining and embroidery details that reference traditional Zulu weaving patterns. At its heart, the Diesel+EDUN collaboration is about trade not aid. By sourcing CCI cotton from Uganda and entirely manufacturing the collection in Africa, Diesel+EDUN are bringing business to the continent and highlighting to the fashion world the possibility for sustainable trade and creative opportunity in Africa.
Edun LIVE EDUN LIVE is a line of basic tees and blank tees for printing, founded by Ali Hewson & Bono in 2005. They are entirely “Grow to Sew” African. From cotton to finished tee, all production takes place in Africa EDUN LIVE has partnered with Hard Rock International on a U2 Signature Series: Edition 30 T-shirt in support of human rights around the globe. Through a partnership between EDUN LIVE and Hard Rock, the limited-edition shirt will be available in stores and online, with 15% of the retail price benefiting Amnesty International in support of the organization’s human rights campaigning efforts worldwide. The “grew to sew” African cotton T-shirts feature an image of an electric guitar with angel wings, emblazoned with the words “JUSTICE,” “HUMANITY” and “EQUALITY.”
The conservation cotton initiative CCIU is a cotton-farming program that helps to build sustainable farming communities in Northern Uganda. The Conservation Cotton Initiative Uganda (CCIU) was established in 2009 by EDUN in collaboration with Invisible Children, a non-profit organization that develops social programs principally in North West Uganda. CCIU provides funding, training and enterprise support to cotton farmers to help build sustainable businesses in Northern Uganda, one of the poorest areas of Uganda which is recovering from 25 years of civil war. Invisible Children’s role is to implement the CCIU social programs, which are savings and loan schemes, adult literacy programs, and building water holes. TechnoServe, a non-profit specializing in enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries, is overseeing the program. The program is successfully training local farmers cotton and rotational crop growing, and training business service providers including seed merchants, ox ploughers and spraying entrepreneurs. Over 5,000 farmers participated in the 2011/2012 program, and over 8,000 farmers have already enrolled in the 2012/2013 season.
EDUN works with Mikono Knits EDUN’s partnership with Mikono Knits continues to flourish for a second season, as EDUN offers a range of six hand-crotchet sweaters and tanks for the SS13 collection. Mikono Knits was founded by 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya by Froydis Dybahl Archer. Her vision is to take the traditional African skill of knitwear versed by underprivileged women and create an opportunity for them to earn a sustainable income. As EDUN grows its business with Mikono Knits, they’re able to grow and provide more opportunities for local women in Kenya. Mikono, which is Swahili for “hands,” currently consists of ten women, all of whom hand-knit and are gradually being trained in machine knitting. Every piece they create is beautifully crafted to high quality standards. Mikono also ensures minimum harm to the environment, using locally sourced organic cotton and wool, which also creates economic opportunity for local farmers and spinners. You can learn more about each woman who made your individual garment and see their progress evolve on Mikonoknits.com
Ali Hewson: 'In the next 20 years, Africa is going to blow our minds'
You've just launched the new capsule collection from your clothes label Edun, this time in collaboration with Diesel, at Paris fashion week. How did it go? We held a great party, with various young artists and musicians from Africa, and Solange Knowles agreed to play a few numbers. It's a small collection, so we had an event rather than a show. For this collection we've brought together a range of young African creative talents – designers, photographers, musicians – from across the continent, under the heading Studio Africa. I really feel that what Africa is going to do creatively in the next 20 years is going to blow our minds. We just wanted to harness some of that energy. Edun was founded by Bono and yourself in 2005 as a for-profit fashion brand to promote fair trade in Africa. Has it been a steep learning curve? It has. The fashion business is tough. The calendar is relentless. We have a mission, as you say, but our priority as a fashion label is to deliver the most beautiful clothes we can on time. Until now it's been hard to reach the volume we want, but with Diesel on board, we can expand. How big do you want Edun to grow? Well, for example, we currently have 8,500 farmers in northern Uganda supplying our cotton, and we're aiming to have 10,000 next season. Our mission is to drive trade, but we have got to walk before we run. So far we are in Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco, Uganda and Madagascar. And there's talk of a new factory in Ethiopia. I'd love to go to Senegal and Mali, but it has to make business sense. We're pioneers and we want to show that this model works, that it can become self-sustaining, but we want to do it in a clever way. Hence the collaborations, the limited-edition pieces. It has been tough, and I think it's fair to say that we were a little naive about the challenges at the start. We're not making money yet, but we've survived a recession. We're still in the game and growing. It's a long-term commitment. Bono is so associated with Africa as a cause, and he also happens to be your husband. Does that ever make for a tricky working relationship? No, not at all. As you may have noticed, Bono tends to work on the macro level. One of the reasons we originally wanted to do Edun was to see how all these big policies worked on the ground. So, really, we feed off each other. He's like a sounding board for us. It's amazing to have his input and his influence, and he's great at staying out of the day-to-day stuff. Plus, he has so much else going on. But, no, we don't fight about anything to do with the running of Edun – we're on the same page on that one at least! What's life like when he and U2 gear up for an album and a tour, as they're doing now? Well, in a way I think life actually gets easier for him when he's just working with U2. He can completely focus on the music, which he does 100%. He gets to immerse himself in a day job that he loves. He gets to hang out with the lads. It's all good. And they're in the studio now? They're well down the road on the new album and it sounds good. That's all I'm saying. You studied politics at university, didn't you? Yes, I got that from my dad. Jordan, your oldest daughter, seems to be following in your footsteps. Yes, she graduated from Columbia University with a degree in politics and French, and she's working with a poverty action group at the moment. Your second daughter, Eve, is an actress. [She starred in Paolo Sorrentino's This Must Be the Place in 2011 alongside Sean Penn and Frances McDormand.] How do you feel about her career choice? Oh, I just reckoned that by the law of averages we'd have to lose one to the entertainment industry. I suppose, if I was honest, it's not where you want your kids to go, because it's such a precarious place. And it can be kind of lonely too. So you worry about them. But I'm sure if you'd asked Bono's parents what they thought about his career choice back in the day, they would have said the same thing. But she has a certain charisma and she is passionate. And, you know, I've seen that before. Can I clear up a lingering rumour? Is it true that you were approached in 2008 to stand for the Irish presidency? No! That was one of those press stories in Ireland that came out of nowhere. It must have been a really slow day for news. I mean, I'd have to learn Irish. [Laughs] And Bono would have to walk behind me.
Miller, Lindsay (13 April 2013). "Stars at Diesel and Edun's Coachella Party 2013". POPSUGAR. Stars at Diesel and Edun's Coachella Party 2013 Solange Knowles, Bono, and John Legend Keep the Music Coming at Studio Africa's Coachella Bash
April 13, 2013 by Lindsay Miller
Last night, Bono cohosted a Coachella party that drew stars ranging from John Legend to Joe Jonas. Bono's clothing company, Edun — which he cofounded with his wife Ali Hewson in 2005 — teamed up with Diesel to throw their Studio Africa soiree on the first official night of the 2013 festival. The brands launched the Studio Africa project this year as an effort to spotlight fashion, music, and other arts from the continent. Solange Knowles played DJ for the night at yesterday evening's bash, and Congolese-Belgian musician Baloji performed for the crowd. While plenty of the attendees have a musical pedigree of their own, such as John, plenty of actors and other celebrities hit the party, which was held at a private estate in La Quinta, CA. John and his fiancée, Chrissy Teigen, were spotted hanging out with stylist Brad Goreski, while Kellan Lutz, Theresa Palmer, Joe Jonas, and Mad Men's Jessica Paré rounded out the VIP crowd. Check out our roundup of all the celebrities at Coachella to see all the stars who are in the desert for this year's festivities!
Diesel + Edun Studio Africa After Pary - Coachella 2013
After the sun set on the desert of Indio Valley, evening found a welcome reprieve for the glittering set of revelers who encircled the fire pits at Tally Horse Ranch for the Diesel + Edun Studio Africa and Rolling Stone Rock Room pool part. Bono (a co-host of the fête) joined South African band Baloji for a surprise, blink-and-you missed it set. Most of the crowd had not ventured out to the polo fields that day, choosing instead to kick it by the pool and hear Solange Knowles on the ones and twos. “I had a photo shoot all day and came straight to the party—but at least I go to see the Bono performance," gushed Leven Rambin. "It was really unexpected. I thought it was going to be a rock show, and then it was this awesome tribal desert beat. It was just really chill." P. Diddy made a brief appearance in a crowd, which included Teresa Palmer (holding court by the band) and Kellan Lutz, who cracked jokes by the entrance. Lounging by the pool with fiancé John Legend was Chrissy Teigen. She admitted to preferring her current perch to the festival fracas. “I'm not a festival person at all," she told us. "I get really bad anxiety around large groups [laughs]. As you can see, we're just lounging. This is awesome though, something like this is just fantastic. I love Palm Springs, I love Indio, but I can't stand festivals. Everyone is always having way more fun than me." Teigen, in for Legend's performance with Benny Benassi on Saturday night, did grant a pass for the fashion element of Coachella. "I'm looking forward to see how diverse the fashions can be. I want to start an Instagram just for Coachella fashions. I mean, [there's] a lot of fringe. I even caught myself going to LF, because LF is Coachella central, and I just looked around and I couldn’t take it, so I went to Isabel [Marant], and that’s going to be my whole weekend [wardrobe]!" An always beguiling Solange took to the DJ booth to close out the party around 11 p.m. to the ecstatic crowd.
As Ali Hewson and her husband Bono stood with the fashion entrepreneur Renzo Rosso on an African trip earlier this year, the raw white cotton in the hands of the Diesel founder led to an epiphany. In Uganda, Bono and Ali Hewson, creators of the Edun clothing line, and Renzo Rosso of the Diesel group. They are joining forces for a new Diesel+Edun label that will be made entirely in Africa. Why not create a collaboration among three people who believe passionately in the promise of Africa? This week the tangible results of that trip will take the fashion for philanthropy fast forward, into a smart business. Bono, a persistent and vocal supporter of help for Africa going back more than 25 years, and his wife are expanding the reach of Edun, the fashion company they set up in 2005. Through a partnership with Mr. Rosso, founder of the Diesel group, fashion products, sourced or made entirely in Africa, will be sold in Diesel stores under an Diesel+Edun label. “Bono and I have known Renzo Rosso for over 10 years,” Ms. Hewson said. “When we decided to travel to Africa to visit both Renzo’s Millennium Village in Mali and our own cotton farming program in northern Uganda, we realized that the result would be both an amazing journey and a collaboration resulting in a line of beautiful clothes made from our cotton and 100 percent made in Africa.” Bono himself is reticent about the overall subject of “Africa rising” and says that he would rather leave it to his African team to discuss aid to the continent in a wider context. “There is a bit of a minefield here which you can choose to ignore. You don’t have to be an expert on this stuff,” the U2 musician said of his long-term support to African countries. Bono’s attitude is that Africa is not a poor continent, but rich in everything: people, land, diversity — and especially young people, with 60 percent of its population younger than 25 years old. “In my experience, the entrepreneurial spirit has always been alive and kicking. In tough circumstances of extreme poverty, the survival instinct is an innovative one,” he said, adding that new technology had brought new opportunities to the continent, like farmers managing their money via smartphone applications. “People want control over their own destiny. You can see it in the Arab Spring, you can see it on college campuses, you can see it in on the streets of Nairobi,” he continued. “Economists predict that between 2010 and 2015, 7 of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world will be there. For those who think the 21st century will belong to China, look where the Chinese are: They’re in Africa!” Bono’s active participation in founding Edun puts him and Ms. Hewson in a strong position to follow the code expressed by Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. secretary general: “Africa does not need charity, it needs investments and partnership.” While the entire Edun+Diesel line will be made in Africa, that goal has not been easy for Edun itself to achieve, although Ms. Hewson plans for 40 percent of its men’s and women’s ranges to be made in Africa in 2013. The company, which sold a 49 percent stake to the luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2009, manufactures its clothing in a variety of countries including China, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda. Mr. Rosso is as plainspoken as Bono when he talks about Africa and his enthusiasm for the new partnership. His Only the Brave Foundation is philanthropic, but he says the African projects are founded on good business sense. “I think working in Africa is both brave and smart: Brave because we are currently investing our time and money in building know-how in these parts of the world; and smart because Africa is the next big market, as the Chinese have already understood before anyone else,” he said. “I don’t feel I am doing it for philanthropy. We are doing it to generate sustainable development.” The foundation’s initiatives, in spite of the recent political coup in Mali that has destabilized the country, have included building a secondary school with a dormitory for students from remote villages, laboratories used for teaching job skills and other modern facilities. “Africa is a rich continent: rich in resources, rich in culture, rich in the ambition to grow permanently” out of its current problems, said the Italian entrepreneur, who, in addition to the Diesel jeans lines, also owns the upscale brands of Maison Martin Margiela and Viktor & Rolf as well as the production specialist Staff International, which has licenses for labels like DSquared2 and Just Cavalli. Mr. Rosso says that he wants the fashion industry not only to bring trade to Africa, but also to channel and give visibility to the continent’s creativity in style, fabric graphic design and craftsmanship. Why this new collaboration? Ms. Hewson says the benefits will be a “two-way street”: Edun’s Conservation Cotton Initiative in Uganda will be alongside Diesel denim product skills, as well as the global commercial clout of the Diesel brand. To all three, the initiative therefore is a small, but significant, part of a bigger picture. As Mr. Rosso puts it: “With this project we want to show to consumers and to the industry alike, that it is indeed possible to source, produce and generate sustainable trade — and, hence, development — in Africa.” While admitting that “there are kinks in any industry that need ironing out,” Ms. Hewson’s commitment to Edun, along with that of her husband, is to create “great clothes,” creating new jobs and serving consumers along the way. “We are a tiny company with big ambitions — one of which was to persuade some of the fashion heavyweights to take more interest in this part of the world,” she said. “The business environment is getting easier in many places, and the more people and companies that show interest, the quicker that will change.”
Company overview Established in 2005, Edun is a fashion brand inspired by Africa whose core values are beauty and transformation. Its founders, Ali Hewson and U2 singer Bono have a lifelong love for the continent. The House aims at encouraging other fashion brands to do business with Africa, in order to help attract more volumes of trade to Sub-Saharan Africa. Since its launch, Edun has sourced globally from various countries both in and out of Africa, including Peru, Tunisia, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Uganda and most recently China. In 2007, Edun launched the division Edun Live, a tee-shirt business which is 100% grown and sewn in Africa. The company actively works to increase trade with Africa and it is aiming to have 40% of its fashion collection produced in Africa by 2013. The brand is continually looking for new opportunities in Africa to support, provide trade and visibility for local businesses. Wherever Edun is present, it requires all factories to respect legal labour, health, safety, as well as good working conditions. Edun engages independent auditors to conduct checks every six months to ensure its code of conduct is being met and works with factory owners to recommend improvements. Edun established partnerships with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Invisible Children and helped to set up the Conservation Cotton Initiative Uganda (CCIU) which is a farming program that provides funding, training and enterprise support to cotton farmers and their families in Northern Uganda. In 2009, LVMH group bought a significant stake in Edun. LVMH provides essential support, investment and infrastructure to help Edun grow its business into a global fashion brand and support its vision to grow trade in Africa. By 2013, Edun aims to have 40% of the collection manufactured in Africa.
Diesel X Edun “Born in Africa” – African Cotton collection in stores Feb 27th!
Diesel and Edun announce the launch of their colab collection “Born in Africa”. The DIESEL+EDUN collaboration will engage a global audience with the passion of its founders to raise awareness of the creative opportunities in Africa and build sustainable trade with the continent through fashion – a global loudspeaker for the new African economic and creative paradigm. In January 2012, DIESEL founder Renzo Rosso and EDUN founders Ali Hewson and Bono travelled to Uganda and Mali, where they shared their love of the continent and toured each other’s programs: DIESEL’s Only The Brave Foundation project in Dioro, Mali and EDUN’s Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in Uganda. The experience encouraged them to join forces to further apparel trade and development in Africa under the name DIESEL+EDUN. Inspired by the African creative spirit, the collection capsule DIESEL+EDUN completely is made in Africa, from cotton the most end coming from Uganda organisation CCI (Conservation Cotton Initiative), that sets up programs of assistance to small producers. Using raw, untreated denim, the DIESEL+EDUN collection was built around a reinterpretation of the four-pocket jean of the 1970s popular on the streets of South Africa. Malian textile prints are echoed in the denim lining and across the jersey pieces in the collection. Embroidery details reference traditional Zulu weaving patterns, while the dresses feature Kenyan metalwork. Running through the collection are four original symbols designed to reflect the heart of the DIESEL+EDUN collection. To bring the spirit of the collection to life, DIESEL+EDUN developed the concept of Studio Africa – the new hub for Africa’s creative community and a virtual loudspeaker for a new generation of creative talents from across the continent. The campaign features nine artists in fashion, film, music, literature, and photography; individuals with both talent and a deep commitment to their respective countries and people. Curated and edited by OKAY AFRICA alongside Africa’s most creative, STUDIO AFRICA hosts inspirational, forward thinking creative work originating in or inspired by Africa. Discover the contributors below. Meet Flaviana Matata the catwalk model running a foundation for the education of orphaned girls in Tanzania; Sy Alassane the actor creating opportunities for Senegal’s talibé beggar children; Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud the fashion designer of Laurence Airlines building an industry in Côte d’Ivoire one skilled worker at a time; the musician drawing, Baloji, on Belgian and Congolese roots to challenge what it means to make African music today; the writer, Abdellah Taïa, from Morocco breaking taboos as the first openly gay author in the Arab world; and I See A Different You the photography collective showing their hometown of Soweto, South Africa in a whole new light. Step inside Studio Africa to find out how the cast members are redefining the future on their own terms. Renzo Rosso and Bono will present the concert of the talents of Africa Express books by Boiler Room: Jupiter, Baloji, Junior Clementine, Tanya Mushayi, I has Itself Different You, and a good number of surprises! This major event of Paris Fashion Week will be the launch evening of this collection that will unfold itself on Sunday March 3 at the Museum of Numerical Arts the Lyric Gaité in the presence of Renzo Rosso, Bono and Ali Hewson. The party will begin as early as 22H, with a DJ set warm up inspired of Africa. This event is part of the African Express Turn, begun to Tokyo and that will follow the road to London and Berlin to finish at the festival Coachella. The collection will be available in shop from February 27 and we cannot wait!
EDUN Collaborates With Louis Vuitton on Limited-Edition Travel Bag Louis Vuitton x EDUN
EDUN made sartorial history this month when it became the first fashion label to share Louis Vuitton’s thunder in a Louis Vuitton-branded ad. The Annie Leibovitz-shot pictorial, part of Louis Vuitton’s Core Values campaign, features EDUN’s founders, U2′s Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, roaming the vast African plains. Hewson carries a collaborative Louis Vuitton for EDUN bag: a special-edition Keepall 45 luggage piece clad in Louis Vuitton’s signature Monogram Révélation brown leather. Designer collaborations are hardly a rare occurrence these days, but EDUN and Louis Vuitton’s is noteworthy because it officially seals the relationship between the two brands. (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy purchased a 49 percent minority stake in EDUN in 2009, after the ethical fashion house admitted to being in fiscal straits.) EDUN and Louis Vuitton’s collaboration officially seals the relationship between the two brands. Hewing to EDUN’s Africa-centric mission, the Keepall 45 bag includes a handcrafted ebony-and-bone charm by Made, a fair-trade brand of jewelry and accessories crafted by the people of Kenya. Both the charm and the inside of bag bear the inscription, “Every journey began in Africa”—a nod not only to EDUN’s ethos but also to commemorate Louis Vuitton’s first made-in-Africa product.
AFRICA RISING Although the Keepall 45 will cost a hefty $4,900 when it’s made available for purchase in October, all proceeds will go to TechnoServe in Uganda to support the Conservation Cotton Initiative, which improves lives by promoting sustainable cotton harvesting practices. All proceeds from the Keepall 45 will benefit the Conservation Cotton Initiative in Uganda. The timing of the bag could not be more apt, since EDUN will be presenting The EDUN Exhibition, a showcase of contemporary African art, when EDUN fetes its Spring/Summer 2011 collection at Paris Fashion Week. The temporary exhibition will feature art from the renowned Jean Pigozzi collection, stories of African culture, and a behind-the-scenes video of the Louis Vuitton Core Values shoot.
African Activist Bono Now Manufacturing Majority of His Edun Eco-Fashion Line In China
Being one of the biggest rock stars on the planet is a dream coveted by countless people and Paul Hewson – otherwise known as Bono – has made it his reality along with his U2 bandmates for the past several decades. With a treasure trove of Grammy awards to their credit (not to mention induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), you’d expect down time to consist of, well, catching up on a few books, showing Guitar Hero who’s really boss and maybe even cultivating an organic garden like fellow rock God Sting, but for the 50 year old Irish-born front man, fashion has been his focus. Ever heard of the eco-label Edun? Bono and his wife of 28 years, Ali Hewson, launched the organic, sustainable, socially conscious brand as a way to facilitate business and encourage trade in sub-Saharan African while lifting its residents out of poverty. A natural extension of the singer’s ongoing humanitarian commitment to Africa, despite the seeming purity of the mission and their dedication/personal investment in the company, Edun had to be resuscitated with a hefty infusion of cash just last year. Blame it on the recession and the unfortunate “limitations of African manufacturing” (such as lack of attention to necessary design features). Now, in move that has prompted countless news outlets roll their eyes, Bono and Ali have been forced to shift 70% of Edun’s production over to Asia, a scant 15% to Africa (except for their t-shirts, 100% of which are still manufactured in Africa) and all remaining products courtesy of Peru. That in addition to shifting part of Edun’s headquarters to the Netherlands in an effort to alleviate the burden of taxes the Hewsons must pay in Ireland. Seems like times are tough, even for rock stars and their wives. Before you’re tempted to join the haters camp, it’s worth mentioning that the power couple is supporting Al Gore’s The Climate Project by appearing in a new commercial for Louis Vuitton, which happens to have a 49% stake in Edun. Bono and Ali – who are sporting sustainable Edun threads in the Annie Leibovitz campaign – donated their fee to Chernobyl Children International and Technoserve in Africa for the Conservation Cotton Initiative (which supports farmers in Northern Uganda). All proceeds from the sale of the hand-crafted fair-trade charms dangling from the new Vuitton Keepall 45 bag, inscribed with the words ‘Every journey begins in Africa’ (along with a portion of the profits from the tote), will benefit the Conservation Cotton Initiative.
Bono tackles African poverty (by moving his fashion house to China)
Bono tackles African poverty (by moving his fashion house to China) By Shane Richmond Media Last updated: September 13th, 2010
If chicken pox had an ego it still wouldn't be as irritating as Bono. Not even close. Not content simply to assail the world with his awful bombastic music, Bono also wants to 'improve' it too. He wants to end poverty. And who can argue? I hate poverty, we all do, but such is my antipathy towards Bono, such is his charmlessness and general offensiveness, that if it comes to choosing sides, well, I'm awfully close to siding with poverty. Anyway, at the risk of making schadenfreude one of this blog's key themes, I couldn't help smirking this morning when I read that Bono's ethical fashion house, Edun, has shifted production from Africa to China. That wouldn't be such a problem if it weren't for the fact that Edun was set up to create jobs and alleviate poverty in Africa. According to the Wall Street Journal, Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, "initially resisted the idea of manufacturing in China, feeling that doing so would run contrary to the brand's mission". A business decision, then, and probably a very sensible one. Not one that really chimes with Bono's stated global aims, however. But then U2's decision, four years ago, to move part of its business to the Netherlands to reduce its tax burden seemed hypocritical too, given the lead singer's fondness for telling governments how to spend that tax money. The sermonising will of course go on, and on. And Bono will continue to hope that we don't notice the conflict between what he preaches and his business interests. It's not just that Bono has business interests – Bono is a business. But is anyone still interested in buying what he's selling?
LVMH to take stake in Bono's ecological and ethical fashion brand Edun
LVMH, the luxury goods group, is to take a stake in Edun, the ecological and ethical fashion brand founded by Irish singer and campaigner Bono and his wife, the French company's chief executive said on Thursday. Bernard Arnault, chief executive of LVMH, said the luxury goods company is to take a stake in Edun, the ecological and ethical fashion brand created by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson.
"We are going to take a stake in Edun, an ecological and ethical brand," Bernard Arnault told shareholders at LVMH's annual shareholders' meeting in Paris. He did not give any financial details or specify the size of the stake. Edun was launched in 2005 by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson, with the aim of encouraging sustainable employment in developing regions, especially Africa. Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, is famous for fronting the band U2 and for his extensive campaigning for African humanitarian causes, which has led to three Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
Direct from WWD Eye Scoop and written by Miles Socha: Bono and his wife Ali Hewson are starring in a new ad campaign for Louis Vuitton featuring Edun, the first time a label other than Vuitton is getting a fashion credit. Instead of Vuitton, the two wear Edun, the ethical clothing label they founded in 2005 to encourage trade with Africa, and in which LVMH took a 49 percent stake last year. What’s more, Hewson totes a handbag co-designed by Edun and Vuitton that comes dangling with a special charm that is the French firm’s first made-in-Africa product. (It’s also sold separately.) The image of Bono and Hewson disembarking from a small airplane in an arid South African vista — with the tag line “Every journey began in Africa” — is slated to break in mid-September in a range of daily newspapers, October magazines and on louisvuittonjourneys.com. The collaboration also will dovetail with an event during Paris Fashion Week, when Vuitton and Edun will unveil Africa Rising, a temporary exhibition of contemporary African art along with a showcase for the campaign and Edun’s spring collection. Bono and Hewson are expected to attend. Antoine Arnault, Vuitton’s director of communications, said Edun’s presence in a Vuitton campaign would give the small brand — and its mission to eradicate poverty through sustainable enterprise in Africa — international exposure.
A mix of leather, mesh, and African prints at Edun
NEW YORK Fashionistas shivered visibly on Sunday in a makeshift event space along the blustery Hudson River, where the Edun fashion label, founded by U2's Bono and wife Ali Hewson, was displaying its Fall 2012 collection. But the models wore bright, African prints that made one feel, at least momentarily, in a much warmer clime. Among the most striking fashions: A graphic zebra print in a shoulder dress, draped prettily over one shoulder, or a silk safari print shirt dress, or a springbok (gazelle) silk twist dress, or an electric blue leopard-mix print dress. Zebra, leopard, safari, springbok: The images don't seem particularly suited for fall or winter on a cold city sidewalk. But Edun designer Sharon Wauchob explained that she was trying to marry the African roots of the collection with an edgy, urban, even punkish feel. "I was trying to show the modernity of Africa, connected to an urban environment," she said backstage. Or, as the program noted: "The Edun girl ... has taken her punk rock roots on safari." One way to achieve her desired effect, Wauchob said, was to provide body-hugging shapes for her colorful prints. Another means of contrast was in Wauchob's outerwear, which was often oversized and boxy -- a big charcoal wool jacket, for example, over a silk zebra-print jumpsuit, or a very chunky two-tone turtleneck sweater, shown over a lacquer-printed kilt skirt. Edun was founded by Bono and his wife in 2005 to "bring about positive change through its trading relationship with Africa," according to the label. Of the 37 outfits displayed for the Fall/Winter 2012 women's collection, 29 of them included garments that will be produced in Africa. Hewson was in the front row on Sunday, along with Julian Lennon and iconic model Helena Christensen. And though the shivering in the audience produced some concern for the coatless (mostly) models, they actually were the lucky ones: They dressed backstage in deliciously toasty heated tents.
OXFORD, Ohio --A clothing company founded by Irish rocker and humanitarian Bono and his wife has partnered with college students in Ohio on a business project they expect to roll out to other campuses around the world. Students at Miami University's Center for Social Entrepreneurship buy blank cotton T-shirts made in Africa and resell the shirts to other organizations. The students make some profit and provide a market to help build trade and employment in Africa. Bono, the frontman for the U2 rock band, has gained international attention with his efforts to assist developing countries, especially in Africa. He and his wife, Ali Hewson, founded Edun Apparel Ltd. in 2005 to produce clothing in developing countries, providing increased trade and jobs to those areas. The company, based in Dublin, Ireland, stresses that its message is "trade, not aid." Final details are being worked out for the expansion of Miami's business model to other campuses, said Christine Driscoll, business development manager for edun Live, the sub-brand that consists of the T-shirt line. The company hopes edun Live on Campus, the Miami University pilot, will expand to least 40 campuses by 2011. "We don't just vote and effect change at the ballot box," Hewson told students in a recent visit to Miami, a 14,385-student public university in southwest Ohio. "We can vote and effect change with the dollar in our pocket and how we use it, and you are leading the way." Similar sentiments have led major companies to try to help developing areas through business solutions and universities to offer courses covering social responsibility. Starbucks Corp. participates with coffee growers in other countries in a fair-trade arrangement paying them prices aimed at providing a decent living and leading to more sustainable farming practices, and Procter & Gamble Co. developed a water-purifying product for developing countries. The Miami students buy the T-shirts for about $4 each from edun Live, and resell them for around $10 each to campus organizations and other groups. "We have the blank T-shirts that we screen-print with custom designs or imprint with the slogan, 'I know who made my shirt, do you?'" said Andy Mitchelides, president of edun Live on Campus. Consumers can help increase trade and job opportunities in developing areas by buying the shirts, and others who see them may be prompted to question where their own clothing comes from, he said. The core team of about 15 students has sold 2,600 shirts since the venture began in mid-October. The students make a profit of about $1 per shirt that goes to back to the center. Brett Smith, an assistant professor of entrepreneurship who helped create the center at Miami, said the profits can be used to start other ventures, bring guest speakers to campus and take students to Africa -- where they can see where the shirts are made and meet the workers who benefit from their efforts "There are really a lot of socially conscious students out there who just need to be sparked by something," said Treviana Delmastro, 19, of New York, a member of Gamma Phi Beta. The sorority has bought the standard edun Live shirts and plans to buy more designed specifically for the sorority. "Demand isn't a problem," Driscoll said. "We're getting letters from other schools wanting to know how they can get involved." Leading scholars say social entrepreneurship began emerging in the 1980s as more people realized that government alone could not solve society's problems and more private initiative was encouraged. The concept has been gaining popularity over the past decade. Business schools at universities such as Harvard, Stanford and Duke in the United States and Oxford University in England have expanded beyond courses in social entrepreneurship to also offer activities such as research and conferences. "Miami is doing groundbreaking work as one of the few schools developing a strong undergraduate program for social entrepreneurship," said Gregory Dees, faculty director of the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. He said the training is spreading to schools of government, public health, education and engineering. "I think our generation is determined to find ways of creating social change through sustainable business models like edun Live," Mitchelides said.
Belli, Brita (31 August 2007). "The Eco Fashion Revolution". EMagazine.com. The Eco Fashion Revolution Getting Consumers to Care About What They Wear August 31, 2007 | Brita Belli
… Ethics and Anti-Fashion While many eco designers seem engaged in their own personal Project Runway competition—finding stylish ways to rework vintage neckties and discarded tires—others have come to this new fashion frontier led by ethical concerns first. Irish label Edun ("nude" spelled backwards), founded by U2 singer Bono and wife Ali Hewson in conjunction with New York designer Rogan Gregory, is upfront about its mission. The designers want their customers to think about the cotton in their clothing and how it was produced. Behind Edun's image of pale, punk-looking models in pricey tees and skinny jeans is the motto "trade not aid," a focus on raising Africa's share of the global cotton market. Edun's Ali Hewson and Edun's sophisticated fall look African cotton farmers are "using expired pesticides and…are subject to grave negative health effects," says Bridget Russo, an Edun spokesperson. These farmers "often make a loss every year," she says, "and some…sleep 10 to 20 people in a hut with one pair of shoes among them all." The company notes on its website that if the fashion industry would increase its trade with Africa by one percent, it would provide the country an additional $70 million in exports, which is "several times more than what the region currently receives in international assistance." While Edun is committed to using organic fabrics, the company puts sustainable trade first—improving the economic condition of third world farmers. It uses organic materials whenever possible. "At the moment, our T-shirts and fleece items are 100 percent organic cotton," says Russo, "which makes up 50 percent of the overall collection." UK designer Katharine Hamnett laid the groundwork for anti-fashion-fashion back in the 1980s with her bold black-on-white message shirts (like the anti-drug "Choose Life" T-shirt seen on George Michael in a Wham! video). Hamnett's latest T-shirt reads "Save the Future," and it's a line she produced in partnership with the Environmental Justice Foundation for its campaign to end child labor in cotton farming, especially in Uzbekistan (see sidebar). In the 1990s, most industry insiders didn't share Hamnett's outrage over laborers dying from pesticide exposure, and she was dismissed by many of her peers. So she cut ties with her Italian manufacturer and tried to produce her own ethical line at a time when organic cotton was nearly impossible to find. Now, in 2007, a WalMart-like UK retailer named Tesco carries Hamnett's sustainable clothes and the designer who couldn't find a friend in fashion is in the swirling center of the eco fashion popularity club. …
Mainstream Bound … Edun says it's already seeing a significant change in the way consumers approach shopping. But the company, like many eco fashion lines, serves a higher-end clientele—customers more likely to shop at Nordstrom and Barneys than Target. "In the end, shopping is politics," says Russo.
IT was a celebrity wife double act at New York Fashion Week over the weekend. Ali Hewson and Victoria Beckham both had their designs on display in one of the most high-profile events of the year -- the spring/summer 2011 collection. Hewson's 'ethical' label Edun took centre stage earlier with clothes that exuded an earthy kind of natural feel. Colours included, white, indigo, sand, black and copper. There was also a geometric animal print. She said not all the clothes were organic and not all were made in Africa, but they were mindful of making the items in an ethical way. The wife of U2 star Bono said she started the company because she felt there was a real demand from consumers to not only look good, but also to feel good about what they were wearing. "I think it was an opportunity to do something on the ground and to see how business worked on the continent of Africa and Bono was working in a very macro way, and we wanted to do something on the ground in a micro way," she said. The Edun part of the show was held outside in a covered alley with models walking down a gravel catwalk. Victoria Beckham's designs were more mainstream and had more vibrant colours. She was dressed in black and watched attentively as a wave of models showed off her clothes to a packed audience. A white matte gazar gown with sculptural pleated shoulders and a waistband adorned with linked microbeads was one of her highlights. "I pushed myself with this dress," she said and promised to wear it to the next big fashion event. The show was held at an elegant mansion off Fifth Avenue to a small, select group of editors, retailers and stylists. The Cadillac-pink shift dress, with an asymmetrical, curved neckline, is also headed to her personal wardrobe as a daytime travelling dress, and the masculine leather weekender that's part of her new handbag collection can be for husband David. "I had to do something David would use," she said with a smile. Of course, there's a Victoria bag, too -- a polished, squarish shape. The gloss jacquard fabric she used for some shorter dresses was stiff and industrial, but the shades of opal, purple and grey kept those pieces from crossing the line to techno. And a white flare dress had a subtle grey print and delicate sheer stripes on the skirt, offering her own spin on what seems to be a must-have trend. She said she took "a metre and a half" of bright purple parachute silk and draped it around herself, experimenting until she got the knot-waist dress that opened her runway just right.
Celebrated Beckham takes the unusual step of personally narrating her show, and with each explanation of a boned bodice or bias cut, her credibility shoots up. She is now treated by the industry as a celebrated designer, not a celebrity. The themes of her spring dresses -- and the collection was only dresses -- was a celebration of curves, she said, taking out some of the corsetry that she previously built silhouettes on, replacing that with oval panels on the bodice that she said would give the same flattering shape with more comfort. Of course, Beckham herself is known as a petite creature with a dramatic look, but she also appeared softer, wearing her hair long and a cinched bell-shape dress topped by a shrunken cardigan, both black. She kept her killer heels, though, a pair of sky-high, copper-coloured Brian Atwoods.
McGoldrick, Debbie (23 July 2009). "He's Got the Edge". IrishCentral. He's Got the Edge By Debbie McGoldrick, IrishCentral.com Staff Writer Published Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 4:12 PM Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 5:55 PM
… Bono has designed a socially conscious t-shirt produced by his wife Ali's socially conscious design company Edun, and profits will be donated to African cotton farmers and garment workers.The shirt, which sells for $26 or $28, is available exclusively through the Hard Rock Caf chain of restaurants, or through the website www.hardrock. com/rockshop, if you're interested. The sale started on Monday.
"Bono, para Louis Vuitton" (in Spanish). infobae. 2 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help) 02-09-10 | Gente Bono, para Louis Vuitton
El cantante de U2 y su mujer fueron contratados por la firma francesa para su última campaña. La producción de fotos se realizó en Africa Bono, para Louis Vuitton Ali Hewson y Bono, el vocalista de U2, fundadores de Edun, son los últimos íconos modernos en ser fotografiados por Annie Leibovitz para la campaña publicitaria Core Values de Louis Vuitton, rodada en África en marzo de este año. La imagen, que retrata a Ali y a Bono caminando en un vasto paisaje, refleja la larga relación que tiene la pareja con África. Ambos han sido activistas desde hace mucho tiempo en la lucha contra la pobreza y en el 2005 se fundó la marca ética de ropa Edun para fomentar el comercio con África y poner en relieve las posibilidades que tiene la comunidad de las modas de hacer negocios allí. En el 2009, LVMH, en conformidad con su largo compromiso al desarrollo sustentable, adquirió una participación del 49% en Edun a fin de promover más ampliamente la visión positiva de la marca por el comercio responsable. Antoine Arnault, Director de Comunicaciones de Louis Vuitton, comentó: Estamos encantados de que tanto Ali como Bono, que no habían participado antes en una campaña publicitaria, aceptaron ser fotografiados para Core Values. Estamos muy orgullosos de nuestra asociación con Edun. Queremos que Edun sea un éxito, ya que cuanto más crezca, más podremos hacer en lo fundamental", indicó Ali.
Comfortable with class: Dressing for a hectic season
… Edun: The label from U2 singer Bono, Edun ("nude" backwards), is a high-end socially conscious label. Bono and head designer Rogan Gregory look to use it as a tool to promote trade rather than aid in developing nations in Africa. Most of these subdued rock-chic tops are luxurious blends of material, superior stitching, and grays, whites, browns, and blacks from $40 to $200.
LVMH comprará una parte de la casa de modas de Bono
Wendlandt, Astrid; Massy-Beresford, Helen (14 May 2009). García, Hernán (ed.). "LVMH comprará una parte de la casa de modas de Bono" (in Spanish). Reuters. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help) LVMH comprará una parte de la casa de modas de Bono jueves 14 de mayo de 2009 07:56 GYT PARIS (Reuters) - El grupo de bienes de lujo LVMH tomará una participación en Edun, la marca de modas ecológica y de perfil ético fundada por el cantante irlandés Bono y su esposa, dijo el jueves el presidente ejecutivo de la marca francesa. "Vamos a tomar una participación en Edun, una marca ecológica y ética", dijo el presidente ejecutivo de LVMH, Bernard Arnault, durante la asamblea anual de accionistas en París. El ejecutivo no dio los detalles financieros ni especificó el tamaño de la participación que adquirirá LVMH, que es propietaria de las marcas de champagne Dom Perignon y de relojes Tag Heuer, y de las casas de moda Louis Vuitton y Celine. Edun fue lanzada en el 2005 por Bono y su esposa, Ali Hewson, con la intención de alentar el empleo sustentable en regiones en desarrollo, especialmente en Africa. Bono, cuyo nombre real es Paul Hewson, es famoso por liderar la banda de rock U2 y por su comprometida campaña en favor de causas humanitarias africanas que le han deparado tres nominaciones al premio Nobel de la Paz. (Reporte de Astrid Wendlandt, escrito por Helen Massy-Beresford; editado por Hernán García)
… In 2005, U2 singer Bono and his wife Ali Hewson launched their “socially conscious” fashion label Edun, which provides training to workers in factories where its clothes are produced, mainly in Africa.
NEW YORK - To a steady African beat and the sound of a pounding monsoon rain, the Edun label founded by U2's Bono and wife Ali Hewson presented a mix of breezy, delicate florals and edgy laser-cut silks studded with metal grommets at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Bright color - a trend during spring previews - lit up the runway Sunday in a dark, cavernous warehouse across from the Hudson River. The show included some hand dying in indigo using a technique from Mali on a flared jacket made of recycled hemp. There were reds, a deep clay to a light salmon, in African-inspired prints, a touch of tangerine in a parachute romper, and solids in a range of whites, from silvery to bright. A diamond print was featured on slouch trousers paired with a matching halter. The print was carried over to several other looks, including a silk scarf dress with matching jersey leggings. Organic white mesh for a jumpsuit had shorts laser-cut in a fluttery petal shape. That detailing, along with the round metal trim, was all over the runway in short dresses, loose shorts, halter tops, and trousers. The company, founded in 2005, produces some of its clothes in Africa. With the help of artisan nuns in Kenya known as the "crochet sisters," the line includes their black hand-knotted skirt and fitted dress trimmed in leather. Rocker black was also present in a neoprene shirt with leather straps and crocheted short-shorts. Hewson told the Associated Press before the show that Edun's latest collection is "kind of innocent but tough," as she tries to bring an "ethical," steady, and sustainable manufacturing industry to Africa. That's where she and Bono are headed next month to mark Desmond Tutu's 80th birthday, then on to Mozambique. Africa always offers her a creative charge, Hewson said. "For me, every time I go there you get much more than you can ever give," she said. "It's just the energy of the people and their sexiness and desire to work. It's just always a shot of adrenaline when you go there." Hewson turned over the creative reins of Edun three years ago to Sharon Wauchob, but remains closely involved. The celebrity-saturated crowd included Sting, Bono bandmate the Edge, singers Corinne Bailey Rae and Courtney Love, and models Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington.
Only The Brave Foundation Launches Partenership with Millennium Promise
Only The Brave Foundation Launches Partenership with Millennium Promise
New York, NY, September 14, 2010
Social corporate responsibility is nothing new these days, but if you pair it with a culturally relevant brand with direct channels of communication to the worldwide youth, and extremely innovative and unorthodox marketing, something yet unseen might see the light – and maybe it’s something that could contribute to making this world a better place.
Renzo Rosso, founder of the Diesel brand and president of OTB, a holding company regrouping iconic fashion labels like Maison Martin Margiela, Viktor&Rolf, and of course Diesel, announces today the public launch of his latest and most engaging project: the Only The Brave Foundation, with the mission to mobilize youth to contribute to the eradication of poverty around the world, with a specific focus on Africa.
Today's announcement is coupled with news that the Only the Brave Foundation is partnering with Millennium Promise, the leading international organization dedicated to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to halve extreme poverty by 2015. And because of his commitment to helping end extreme poverty, Renzo Rosso has been named a Millennium Promise MDG Global Leader. In this role, he will engage and encourage corporate leaders and the general public to join him in the movement through a series of public announcements coinciding with next week’s MDG Summit, one of the largest-ever gatherings of world leaders.
In 2009, the Only The Brave Foundation first partnered with Millennium Promise, which oversees the Millennium Villages Project in partnership with the Earth Institute at Columbia University and UNDP, for the development of an Only The Brave Millennium village – a 20,000 inhabitants village in Mali called Dioro. The Only the Brave Foundation has now officially selected the Millennium Villages Project as its flagship initiative, with support directed to benefit the work in Dioro. Because of the Millennium Villages Project’s innovative model to help communities lift themselves out of extreme poverty, the community has seen tangible improvements in daily life. As of today, seeds and fertilizers have been distributed to boost agriculture, bed nets have been provided to every household to decrease malaria, and the following village structures have already been built or renovated: a new health clinic, a primary school with new classrooms, latrines for boys and girls, a community centre, solar panels, and the school kitchen. Next steps include the installation of new water sources, the building of a women's garden, bringing internet to the village, and incubating new business opportunities to generate income opportunities.
But the people who will be able to make the biggest difference in the world of the future are young people all over the world. A generation that will not necessarily react to being addressed in the traditional way: they need to learn, become curious, have something to share socially, invest and believe in something real, tangible, concrete. For this reason, the Only The Brave Foundation has decided to communicate its identity, initiatives and primarily its support of the Millennium Village in a way that resonates with today's worldwide youth: digitally. The Only The Brave Foundation's website (www.otbfoundation.org) is interactive, visually catching, uses a simple language, highlights its initiatives across the globe, educates viewers on daily life in Africa, encourages participation, engagement and contributions (not only monetary but also of ideas, free time, advocacy work, etc). The real village itself has been recreated digitally (a revolutionary platform synchronized with Facebook) and browsers can navigate (literally, walk around) it, visit and view the real places (every corner has been photographed, and every character on the website recreate a real person of the village who has been interviewed and taped telling what happens in the village daily and on special occasions. The virtual village is not a game, it is a reflection of the real village. The animation is inspired by life in Dioro and the videos were all shot on location in Mali.
"I don’t think young kids today will be moved to action by yet another touching clip shot in Africa. They need to see with their eyes and interact to see that it’s all real and that they can do something, however small, about the situation, going straight to the field, and not having to go through huge organizations which they might not feel comfortable with", says Renzo Rosso. "I visited Dioro last spring and I was touched not only by the progress of the village itself but also by the incredible richness of traditions, history, know-how and hope for the future. People in Africa have the capacity, they only need the opportunity. I am looking forward to more and more of these initiatives and I sincerely thank Millennium Promise for having helped us make it happen".
"We salute Renzo Rosso and the Only the Brave Foundation for their leadership in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and in their support for the Millennium Villages Project," said John McArthur, CEO of Millennium Promise. "Renzo and the Only the Brave Foundation bring an extraordinary spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship to this collaboration, all driven by passion to end extreme poverty."
"Achieving the Millennium Development Goals is within our grasp, but the time is very short. The support and involvement of international business leaders such as Renzo Rosso and the Only the Brave Foundation are critical to the success of the MDGs, to our common quest to build a world in which extreme poverty is ended and prosperity is broadly shared," said Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute and Co- Founder and President of Millennium Promise.
Visitors to www.otbfoundation.org will be able to see all the projects the Foundation supports, the actual progress of these projects and give their contribution (in case of monetary donations they will do through mobile or PayPal). The website is online starting September 15 and contributions of any sort (including volunteering) can be made from any corner of the world.
Leave your mark for a better world. Be Proud. Be Brave. End Poverty.
For further information, please contact:
Only The Brave Foundation Press Office Tel. +39 0424 477555 info@otbfoundation.org Millennium Promise Bill Rigler, Director of Communications Tel: +1-646-884-7420 Bill.rigler@millenniumpromise.org
About Millennium Promise
Millennium Promise is the leading international non-profit organization solely committed to supporting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to halve extreme poverty by 2015. In partnership with the Earth Institute at Columbia University and UNDP, Millennium Promise oversees the Millennium Villages Project, which supports integrated social and business development services for more than 500,000 people in rural communities across 10 countries in Africa. By engaging donor nations, corporations and the general public in this effort, our work is premised on the belief that, for the first time in history, our generation has the opportunity to end extreme poverty, hunger and disease disparities. For more information, visit www.millenniumpromise.org
One very well-recognized example of social enterpreneuship is the rock band U2's social activity. A clothing company founded by Irish Rocker and humanitarian Bono and his Wife has partnered with college students in Ohio in a business project that the expect to expand to other campuses around the world. Students at Miami university's Center for Social Enterpreneushop buy blank cotton T-shirts made in Africa and resell the shirts to other organizations. The students make some profit, while providing a marker to help build trade and employment in Africa. Bono, the front man for U2, has gained international attention with his efforts to assist developing countries, especially Africa. He and his wife, Ali Hewson, founded Edun Aparrel in 2005 to produce clothing in developing countrie, providing increased trade and jobs to those areas (Barendsen and Gardner 2004, Bornstein 2004, Deat and McMulled 2007, Shaw and Cartner 2007)
A brand started by Bono and his wife to boost African manufacturing now produces mainly in China
The Wall Street Journal, September 09, 2010
By: Rachel Dodes
Five years ago, U2 front man Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, founded fashion brand Edun with the lofty mission of revitalizing apparel manufacturing in sub-Saharan Africa.
But when Edun designer Sharon Wauchob unveils her new vision for the label Saturday, most of the clothes on the runway -- some featuring African touches like beads from Kenya -- will be produced in China.
It's a big about-face for Edun, which launched to great fanfare but quickly ran into problems with sourcing and delivery. Shipments from Africa arrived late, and retailers complained about the clothes' design and fit, leading to poor sales. Last year, the collection was carried at just 67 stores globally, down from hundreds in 2006. The "sustainability of the product doesn't have any value unless the fashion is correct," says Ron Frasch, president and chief merchant at Saks, which dropped the line several seasons ago.
Ms. Hewson admits that she and her husband, known for his advocacy of debt relief in addition to his music, were naïve about what it takes to build a fashion brand. "We focused too much on the mission in the beginning. It's the clothes, it's the product. It's a fashion company. That needs to be first and foremost," Ms. Hewson says. "The aesthetic we always knew would be important...but we didn't realize how difficult it was going to be to achieve quality."
Thanks to its big-name backers, Edun (pronounced like "Eden") immediately got noticed in a way unheard of for most nascent fashion brands. Rogan Gregory, known for his organic-cotton Loomstate line and his eponymous Rogan NYC denim line, signed on as creative director, and Barneys and Saks Fifth Avenue agreed to share an "exclusive" to sell the brand's first collection. Celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Moby and Julian Schnabel came to the brand's launch party.
But the New York- and Dublin-based company says it quickly ran up against the limitations of African manufacturing. Ms. Hewson recalls seeing an embroidered jacket hanging at Saks with the wrist the same width as the sleeve instead of being tapered as intended. The company's longtime communications director, Bridget Russo, says she once hosted a party in the dark, at the chic cabaret venue The Box, to draw attention away from the clothes.
Another factor was the recession: Edun got pummeled as retailers cut back their orders, which increased the money-losing brand's production costs. Ms. Hewson says she considered pulling the plug; the couple consulted with friends like Jeffrey Sachs, the Columbia University economist, who encouraged them to stick with the project. "We felt if we failed it would be a double failure. We'd be saying, 'We can't do this,' and then other companies would go, 'Well, see? We've always known that,'" Ms. Hewson says. "Basically we dug our heels in and said, 'We're staying. We're going to make it work.'"
After putting around $20 million of their own money into the still-unprofitable brand, Bono and Ms. Hewson sold 49% of the company last year to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton for about $7.8 million. LVMH, the world's largest luxury conglomerate, helped the company recruit new management and a new designer (Mr. Gregory left in 2007), and then tried to convince the founders to expand their sourcing horizons.
Ms. Hewson and Bono initially resisted the idea of manufacturing in China, feeling that doing so would run contrary to the brand's mission. LVMH executive Mark Weber told them, "If you want to argue with the Chinese, you better have the same standards for the governments in Africa," recalls Ms. Hewson.
Mr. Weber, chief executive of LVMH Inc. confirmed the account and added in a statement: "While this business is small today, we believe it can grow in size by building on a noble idea."
Today, Africa primarily produces the T-shirts for the Edun Live initiative, a division started in 2007, as well as some basic denim and tops for the fashion line. Together, African produced-products now account for 15% of the company's sales. The vast majority of the fashion collection, accounting for about 70% of overall production, is now made in Asia, with the remainder coming from Peru. Ms. Hewson says the company's goal is to produce more of its fashion line in Africa over time.
This season Edun is bringing the focus back to the runway, something that was critical for the new chief executive, Janice Sullivan. "The whole celebrity piece wasn't the draw for me," says Ms. Sullivan, a former president of Liz Claiborne Inc.'s DKNY Jeans division who later ran the Narciso Rodriguez designer business. "I am all about the product."
Edun's new designer, Ms. Wauchob, trained at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London and later worked for Louis Vuitton before starting her own eponymous line based in Paris. She says she wants to add "ease and coolness" to the brand. Edun's color palette, which was dominated by brown and earthy oatmeal colors, will be completely different for spring, featuring subtle details like knotting, layered pieces and intricate patterns.
"We don't want anything hippie dippie," says Ms. Sullivan. The collection will be featured in retailers' contemporary sections, with shirts starting at around $60 and jackets topping out at about $800. Saks buyers are attending the show and Mr. Frasch says the retailer may pick up the line if they like what they see.
Barneys, which pared back the line over the past several seasons, recently devoted its Manhattan flagship's store windows to Edun's pre-fall collection and an Edun T-shirt collection designed to coincide with the World Cup. The retailer also threw a party to fete Ms. Hewson, where it served South African beer.
Part of Ms. Sullivan's job has been to balance Bono's tendency towards showmanship. When planning Edun's upcoming fashion show, Bono initially suggested an elaborate outdoor production with models that appeared to be emerging from the water. Ms. Sullivan wondered what would happen if it started raining.
"I felt like a schoolmarm," says Ms. Sullivan. "I sounded like his math teacher saying, 'OK now, Bono, let's just regroup here. We are having a fashion show. Show is the second word. Fashion is the first word." Ultimately, they compromised: the show is taking place in a semi-outdoor space in Chelsea.
Ms. Hewson confirms the account and says the wonderful thing about her husband is that "he is unencumbered by practicalities."
Indeed, for the company's first fashion show, Bono suggested holding it at the debut of The Gates art installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in Central Park and having J.D. Salinger give an outdoor poetry reading. Although she was unable to locate Mr. Salinger, Ms. Russo says she was proud she got the artists to attend Edun's launch party.
"So you can see how this brand, in the wrong hands, could go haywire," says Ms. Sullivan.
