‘Acqua For Life’: fashion for philanthropy by Armani

Water is an essential element of life.65% of the human body is made up of water. 4/5 of our planet is covered in water. Only 3% of this is fresh water. Much of it is inaccessible.

This was the concept behind the philanthropic movement set up by Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani in collaboration with Geneva-based Green Cross International.

With more and more high-end brands working towards new concepts of eco-fashion, a fresh and emerging trend is being noticed within the industry. There has been a dramatic change in the way materials are being used for crafting designer clothes and accessories.

Ancient concepts of eco-friendly textile being shapeless and ill-fitting are gone with designers finding increasing interest in materials like sea leather and fine organic wovens. Environment-conscious fashion shows like Future Fashion and the Portland Fashion Week started; providing fashion enthusiasts a unique opportunity to be thrilled by sustainable creations from the likes of Versace, Bottega Veneta and Givenchy.

Besides this, a number of high-end couture brands are working on campaigns to generate awareness on the need to preserve the fragile environment.

On the occasion of the World Water Day on March 22, 2011, Armani entered into a collaboration with Green Cross International with a goal to promote clean drinking water for people in need.

Water is such a simple word, but like all simple words it has a profound significance because where there is safe water, there is life, energy, wellbeing, a serene encounter with nature, and a marvelous sense of freshness, said Giorgio Armani.

Every day, due to contamination of water, thousands of children die from water-borne disease. The new campaign aims to provide a minimum of 40 million liters of drinking water to populations in need.

The cooperation between Green Cross International and Giorgio Armani is an innovative partnership model. This is not another 'feel good' campaign but a practical step to help make the Right to Water a reality. It is a pleasure to welcome Giorgio Armani as our partner on this important mission, stated Alexander Likhotal, President of Green Cross International.

As a vehicle for the Acqua For Life campaign (http://www.acquaforlifechallenge.org/), Armani offered two of his most famous fragrances, Acqua Di Giò and Acqua Di Gioia. For every bottle of the fragrances sold, the designer would provide 100 liters of clean drinking water per year to children and their communities.

Operations for the project have initially been started in Ghana where over 40 percent of the rural population does not have access to drinking water. Over time, the money raised will then be used to finance similar operations in other countries.