H&M and Designers Against AID’s have teamed up this Northern Hemisphere spring to launch a new unisexy collection to help spread the message of safe sex and HIV/AIDS prevention – with the help of a few celebrities.
“We wanted to create a unisex collection with a sporty vibe. It felt really liberating to think of the cut, the shape and the fabric first before thinking of what gender it should be for. Key pieces are the slogan T-shirts as well as the sports style jacket with zip details, which can be worn in all sorts of ways. FAA is vital because it is still so crucial to make young people aware of HIV and AIDS,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, Head of Design at H&M.
Enlisted to promote the fourth H&M Fashion Against AIDS campaign are Selma Blair, Penn Badgley, Keri Hilson, Sky Ferreira, Akon, Nikki Reed, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scissor Sisters, Shiloh Fernandez and The Misshapes, making for one of the biggest celebrity-filled ad campaigns yet for the Swedish fast fashion retailer.
“I think it’s really fitting that this collection is androgynous in style since the disease affects both men and women. It’s a universal thing and we are all in this together. It’s a disease that can be avoided and it’s especially tragic when our ignorance keeps us from safety,” says Selma Blair in a release. The Cruel Intentions actress is no stranger to supporting a cause with fashion; she previously posed naked for Marc Jacobs’ yearly campaign to promote the fight against skin cancer.
Celebrities were chosen for the campaign because H&M wanted to ensure that the message of Fashion Against Aids would reach young people.
Selma Blair and Ginnifer Goodwin
“H&M’s FAA campaigns are extremely important, as it is essential to spread the message to young people worldwide to take care and have safe sex. The main message is: life is beautiful, so keep it that way and be safe, both for yourself and your partner. HIV is everywhere, not just in Africa, not just in the gay community – HIV concerns us all. If you’re old enough and wise enough to make love, you’re also old and wise enough to take care,” says Ninette Murk, founder and creative director, DAA.
We love that the 2011 H&M Fashion Against Aids collection is unisex, it shows how universal and non-discriminating HIV/AIDs is – and it works perfectly into the current trend of boyfriend and androgynous style looks. The collection includes sporty t-shirts, blousons, trench coats, parkas, jackets and all-in-one’s (or rompers/jumpsuits) – the only difference between the mens and womens collections is the sizing and fit.
Pieces range from USD$4.95 for a backpack to USD$59.95 for the trench coat with the H&M Fashion Against Aids collection available online and in H&M’s Divided department from April 26th, with 25% of sales donated to the charity Designers Against AIDS (DAA) and various other international HIV/AIDS prevention projects.
MORE H&M FASHION AGAINST AIDS CAMPAIGN IMAGES
Sky Ferreira
Shiloh Fernandez
Scissor Sisters
Penn Badgley
Keri Hilson
Nikki Reed
Akon
This is a great campaign ……I like that you are using a teenaager …realy like Sky Ferreira ….
HIV/AIDS kills millions of pelope (~5m) every year, and the number is increasing. It is usually a far more significant health issue than influenza which rarely causes deaths when it is endemic. Pandemic influenza is different because it spreads rapidly and has a higher mortality rate, so it can kill many pelope in a short period of time before the outbreak burns out. The 1918 pandemic alone probably killed more pelope (20-100m) than have ever died of HIV/AIDS (~25m), and it did this in months rather than years.