Jean Paul Gaultier designs exclusive T-shirt for the Born HIV Free campaign with the support of ELLE magazine
30 July 2010
Geneva, 30 July 2010 – The Global Fund is pleased to announce the release of an exclusive T-shirt designed by Jean Paul Gaultier to be distributed and sold in France by ELLE magazine for the Born HIV Free campaign.
Jean Paul Gaultier, the internationally renowned French fashion designer, has created a new T-shirt using his signature style with blue sailor-stripes as a symbol of his personal engagement with the campaign.
The T-shirt features a blue-striped body with the Born HIV Free double ribbon logo on the sleeve and a heart shape over the heart of the wearer that contains a print of Jean Paul Gaultier’s hand-written phrase “Hope spreads faster than AIDS” followed by his printed signature.
“The sailor theme represents the ability to travel and be free, while the heart is the center of life, and also of hope,” says Gaultier. “The heart is also a kind of a sailor tattoo, written on the body, with a slogan about hope. It represents both the hope for a cure and of children, who are all our hope for the future. This reinterpreted sailor shirt symbolises the overall cause of this campaign”.
The Born HIV Free campaign initiated and supported by Carla Bruni-Sarkozy for The Global Fund, was launched on 19 May and will continue until 5 October 2010, when governments will meet to determine their levels of financial support for The Global fund for the coming three years .
With the announcement of her Ambassadorship for The Global Fund for the Protection of Women and Children Against AIDS in December 2008, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy declared that one of the ways she wanted to act as an ambassador was to engage the world of art, culture, fashion and entertainment to support the cause of ensuring that virtually all children are born HIV free. Together with Julien Civange, the producer behind the Born HIV Free campaign, they are proud to welcome Jean Paul Gaultier as an active supporter.
“Jean Paul Gaultier’s design will help us to reach more people with the message of the Born HIV Free campaign—that no child should be born with HIV when we have the medicines and means to prevent it,” says Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. “It is our hope that people will wear this T-shirt to show their support of the campaign and encourage countries to continue funding of The Global Fund.”
The T-shirts will be sold and distributed throughout France beginning on 6th August in conjunction with ELLE magazine , a partner of the Born HIV Free campaign. Buyers will be able to purchase the limited edition T-shirts in news agents and news stands where ELLE magazine is regularly available.
“The Global Fund is doing an enormous amount of work in Africa for the prevention of AIDS, and I am delighted that ELLE and Jean Paul Gaultier had the opportunity to work together on this sailor’s T-shirt for hope,” says Valérie Toranian, Editorial Director of ELLE. “We must all do everything we can to end the transmission of the HIV virus from mothers to children.”
Also beginning on 6th of August, official campaign partner Orange will feature coverage of the T-shirt promotion on its website, including a video interview with Jean Paul Gaultier.
“I am delighted that our channels are able to spread this message of responsibility and hope throughout Europe,” said David Lacombled, Editorial Director at Orange.
From mid-September, ELLE International will also include coverage of the t-shirts promotion and the Born HIV Free campaign in their European publications.