NEW YORK — The 70th session of the United Nations’ General Assembly is this week’s main event in New York, but Fashion 4 Development founder Evie Evangelou is doing what she can to make the group’s First Ladies Annual Luncheon a close second.
Even U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to make an appearance at this afternoon’s event at The Pierre, which will honor Victoria Beckham, Yue-Sai Kan, Josie Maran, Amma, Naomi Campbell and others for their humanitarian work. Chinese designer Guo Pei will also be on hand to oversee her runway show for a crowd that will include Livia Firth, Diane Kruger and Erik Rasmussen. Vogue Italia editor in chief Franca Sozzani will serve as a cohost with Coumba Toure, president of Advanced Development for Africa and OAFLA, the Organization of African First Ladies.
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As is the case with all of F4D’s efforts, the luncheon highlights the union between diplomacy and fashion for the greater good of women and children worldwide. Beckham will be saluted for her philanthropic work with U.N. AIDS. Since its inception in 2011, F4D has expanded to support the U.N’s Millennium Development Goals and the Moon-supported “Every Woman, Every Child” initiative. There is also now an annual F4D event in Austria cohosted by the country’s first lady, Margrit Fischer. Scheduled to coincide with the Life Ball, this year’s edition at The Belvedere Castle featured a keynote address by Charlize Theron, who spoke of her humanitarian efforts.
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After five years of orchestrating the F4D’s First Ladies event in New York, Evangelou remains unruffled by the fact that many first ladies are unable to confirm their calendars until they actually arrive in New York. In a recent interview, she discussed how several first ladies now bring their own video crews so that the event’s activism can be shared with their respective constituencies. Seventy-five countries will be represented in some capacity at this afternoon’s luncheon, she said.
Ultimately, F4D aims to make fashion a catalyst to improve a battery of humanitarian and environmental issues facing an assortment of industries. Evangelou said, “My whole idea has always been, ‘How do I get the fashion industry to not be viewed as so pink and froufrou and to be looked at as more substantial?’ Obviously, it’s very powerful as a trillion-dollar industry.”
Through a partnership with Copenhagen’s largest think tank Sustania, whose goal is “to create sustainable cities with available technologies in every sector whether it be agriculture, transportation, food….” F4D’s efforts will be highlighted during the World Climate Summit in Paris in December, Evangelou said. “Fashion has been one of the biggest challenges. Fashion is one of the most polluting industries because of all the chemicals and pesticides that are used. We need to pool together to create awareness and offer solutions.”
A consortium of 40 is being organized to bring together incubators, laboratories, universities, entrepreneurs and other progressives to map out changes industry executives can make to help the environment as well as workers’ health. An exhibition and fashion presentation are being considered to better illustrate more sustainable means that can be undertaken. Evangelou said, “Because everything is connected, economic development is really the number-one thing. Without that, people don’t have the means to get proper health care, to eat well or to survive properly. The environment as well is important, especially the waters. We’re trying to create jobs and a sustainable environment.”
And F4D continues to work with R20 Regions of Climate Action, a nonprofit uniting 20 countries with shared environmental and economic goals. In addition, plans are under way for the launch of special envoys, who will work with Every Woman, Every Child to improve human rights, water quality and sanitation and help fight poverty. “We will have many women who will take on these endeavors for F4D and bring in their own networks. They could be a royal, a celebrity or a politician,” Evangelou said.
F4D is also committed to creating a point-of-purchase program that will better educate consumers about how their purchases affect the environment and stand to help the greater good. Designers and brands need to come together to share their expertise, rather than view each other as competition, she believes. “This is not about pointing fingers, just creating an awareness so the people know the options and what’s really going on for their own good,” Evangelou said. “We need to wake them up a little. In the end, it would be wonderful if fashion could become a hero by making people take a stand. We’ve figured out so many other things in this world, why not this?”