Announcing a new HIV-prevention initiative, Bulgari and The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) recognised Thursday, December 1 – World AIDS Day – at a black tie dinner and private view at the Tate Modern. The evening featured a private view of Elton John’s collection of Modernist Photography exhibition, ‘The Radical Eye’, a three- course dinner and musical performances. Amongst the guests and supporters were an array of celebrities, including David Furnish, Lottie Moss, Lady Gaga, Will.i.am, David Walliams, Anna Cleveland, James and Sophia Bunt.
As a special initiative, Bulgari donated two of its iconic B.zero1 bracelets to the charity – with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit EJAF. The B.zero1 bangle bracelets shine in white gold with round-mounted pavé settings. The brand also donated two sophisticated timepieces to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. One is a luminous women’s watch featuring a mother-of pearl watch face, steel bracelet, resplendent diamond indexes, and a cabochon pink stone crown, shining as a brilliant star of the Lvcea watches collection. The other, a steel men’s watch, examples an elegant fusion of heritage and modernity, as the Bulgari-Bulgari collection has defined the bold essence of the Roman Maison for over 40 years. The proceeds earned from both timepieces will go to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation and their work with a new HIV-prevention initiative focused in Turkana, Kenya.
For this new HIV-prevention initiative, Bulgari will combine forces with both Save the Children and EJAF, focusing on HIV-prevention in Kenyan adolescent girls and women. As AIDS-related illnesses remain the leading cause of death among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, a full 74% of all the new adolescent HIV infections occur in girls of this age group. The multi-pronged prevention initiative is targeted to help reduce the number of new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women, concentrating its work in Turkana County, with the 6th highest HIV prevalence in Kenya.
Bulgari’s involvement in the evening continues the jeweller’s three-year partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was officially launched at the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Woodside Gallery Dinner in June 2016. Speaking of the jeweller and watchmaker's continued commitment to the Foundation, Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, said: “Bulgari believes in making the world into a better and beautiful place. This is the reason why earlier this year we signed an important partnership, over the next three years, with the Elton John AIDS Foundation, an organization that we respect for its high level of integrity and ethics.“
The world’s first ever-global health day, initiated in 1988 - World AIDS Day is held on the 1st December each year to enable worldwide communities to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those who lost their lives to the worldwide pandemic.
