Fancy a private chat-and-chew with Vera Wang? Bespoke eco-friendly his-and-her suits from Stella McCartney? What about an Ermenegildo Zegna ensemble made to measure from the world’s finest wool? If you have deep pockets—and the bidding mettle to match—Christie’s inaugural green auction on April 22 (that’s Earth Day, natch) is where you’ll want to tarry a while. Fronted by fashion-industry luminaries such as PPR chairman Francois-Henri Pinault, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Lauren Bush, and Barneys New York’s Julie Gilhart, “A Bid to Save the Earth” offers several “once-in-a-lifetime” fashion-themed lots alongside celebrity encounters, works of art, and travel packages.
CALL TO AUCTION
The carbon-neutral auction, which will comprise both live and online components, will benefit four leading environmental organizations: The Central Park Conservancy, Conservation International, Oceana, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Sometimes you have a problem and you don’t know what to do to solve it,” Gilhart tells WWD “This offers designers the opportunity to do what they do, to have someone buy it, and to have that money go to an organization that will affect change. It’s actually an amazing equation.”
The auction offers several “once-in-a-lifetime” fashion-themed lots, including bespoke Stella McCartney suits.
In support of the event, Barneys and Loomstate have created a series of 100 percent certified-organic cotton T-shirts inspired by the peacock-feathered logo of NBC Universal, the auction’s media partner. The shirts, which will be available for sale in April, are priced at $40 in honor of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary. (A portion of proceeds will go to 1% for the Planet and The Christie’s Charity.)
