Designers Against AIDS: Calling All Knitters!

If you or someone you know is a talented knitter, please read on…

Last week I put up a request on HARO asking for sources to find products and services that were created to benefit AIDS awareness. There are two reasons I did this:

1. December 1st is World Aids Day.

2. October 12th was the day that my mother lost her battle with AIDS, 15 years ago.

I can tell you first hand that getting involved, continuing to help with scientific research and educating those you love can make a difference. Unfortunately, my mother contracted AIDS at a time when treatments were still in the developmental stage and inevitably lost the battle way too soon. However, in just a few short years, we have come a long way and get closer to a cure each day. In the meantime, being aware, being cautious and sharing your knowledge is the only way to control this epidemic.

“More than 65,000 Americans and Western Europeans became HIV-positive last year, adding to the more than half a million people living with HIV in Western and Central Europe, and more than one million Americans who are HIV positive.” – Designersagainstaids.com

My first HARO response was from Designers Against Aids. There was no way I wasn’t going to share this….

About Designers Against Aids:

Designers Against Aids is an AIDS awareness program that was designed to grab the attention of young people by collaborating with popular icons in the entertainment industry including music, film, fashion and sports. Through one of the most popular avenues amongst young adults, pop culture, DAA is hoping to peak their curiosity and their desire to learn more and get involved.

When I spoke to the founder of the program, Ninette Murk (pictured below), she explained how after seeing what a great response they received after running their “Fashion Against Aids” campaign, which first launched in 2008, they decided to roll with the idea even further. Fashion Against Aids was a collaboration between DAA and H&M, which combined fashion with the message of safe sex.  Some of the support they’ve received over the last two years have come from celebrities such as Rihanna, Good Charlotte, Katy Perry, Cyndi Lauper and more. Each artist designed a one-of-a-kind t-shirt and donated 25% of the proceeds from the sales to Aids Awareness Projects. Not only has the campaign been a success as far as raising funds for the last two years, but their message is spreading across the nation as well.

Currently, DAA is working on a new project called Knitting Against Aids, a collaboration between DAA, the gay-lesbian federation of Antwerp and Belgian HIV and AIDS awareness organizations Sensoa and The Pink House.

“The aim is simple: we want as many people as we can find to start knitting an exclusive scarf, that will be decorated with a unique label and sold as a fundraising product during the Take-Care-Week (the week before World AIDS Day) in Antwerp. All net proceeds will be donated to our cause and to the Care-for-AIDS Fund.”

Here’s the part where you can help….

Up until November 15th, DAA is taking donations of hand-knit scarves from talented designers all over the world.

How to get involved…

• By knitting a scarf -the design is free for you to choose. You can buy the wool yourself, or for classes/larger groups the Pink House will come to deliver the wool and the resulting scarves will be picked up again afterwards. You do not know how to knit yet? No problem: this can be learned every Thursday night at The Pink House in Antwerp.
• You can also volunteer during the ‘Take-Care-Week’ when preparing for the benefit.
• Are you a famous person -or do you know one who would be happy to pose with one of the scarves? Are you a designer and would you like to create one or more of the scarves?

If you are interested in donating or need more information, feel free to email -  info@designersagainstaids.com

If you have a scarf that you would like to send in by November 15th, please send it to:

Designers against AIDS

Bredabaan 260

2170 Merksem

Belgium

If you send scarves to us from outside of Europe, please mark the parcels on the outside with ‘Sample without value- Scarf for charity auction’, as this way we won’t have to pay import duties on your work.