In a move to safeguard the education of girls around the world, Prada announced plans to raise funds through an online auction that will benefit initiatives led by UNESCO’s COVID-19 Global Education Coalition.
For the “Tools of Memory” auction planned in October, Prada and Sotheby’s will offer a selection of exclusive fashion items, photography and set design to support learning continuity for girls and their safe return to school.
UNESCO estimates that over 11 million girls – from pre-primary to tertiary education – are at risk of not returning to school in 2020. This comes in addition to the 130 million girls already out of school before the pandemic, which disrupted education in over 190 countries.
To ensure learning continues for every girl and to protect progress made in favour of gender equality and education, UNESCO and members of the Global Education Coalition’s Gender Flagship launched a new campaign entitled Keeping girls in the picture.
‘We must ensure that girls continue on their educational paths, where they can gain the knowledge and skills they need for life, work and leadership – and decrease their risk of adolescent pregnancy, early and forced marriage and violence’, says Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director General for Education.
‘It is with partners such as Prada that we strengthen global commitment to this important issue’, says Giannini. ‘Now is the time to foster novel partnerships extending beyond our circles, and renew commitment to and investment for girls’ education.’
‘We are extremely honored to support UNESCO’s Keeping girls in the picture campaign and the Global Education Coalition’s mission with the funds raised by the auction’, says Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada S.p.A. Head of Marketing and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. ‘This is not just an extremely important cause but also an example of a robust collaboration that the Prada Group is building with the Organization and that we welcome to grow in the upcoming future.’
Every item featured in the online auction is an original piece from the Prada Fall/Winter 20 Men’s and Women’s fashion shows, including one-of-a-kind garments worn by models, backstage photography, artefacts, and objects from the runway décor.
The auction comprises 71 lots in total and will open for bidding on Sotheby’s website from 2-15 October.
The Global Education Coalition was launched by UNESCO at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as a platform for collaboration and exchange to protect the right to education during this unprecedented crisis. It currently brings together over 140 members from the UN family, civil society, academia and the private sector, among others.
The Gender Flagship is a global collaborative platform open to all organizations within the Global Education Coalition committed to gender equality in education. It works to address the gender dimensions of COVID-19’s impact on education and safeguard progress made on gender equality in education.