SPECIAL EDITION OF BEST SELLING “SUKEY BAG” TO BENEFIT UNICEF
As its partnership with UNICEF enters its sixth year, Gucci is pleased to announce the launch of the year-long special edition “Gucci for UNICEF” Sukey bag in grey “La Pelle Guccissima”, with 25% of the retail price for each bag sold going to UNICEF’s “Schools for Africa” campaign.
The story of the best selling Sukey bag already has its roots in Gucci's activities in support of UNICEF. On February 6, 2008, Gucci presented a major fundraising event in New York, co-chaired by Gucci’s Creative Director, Frida Giannini. Through ticket sales and a live auction, the event successfully raised US $2.7 million to benefit UNICEF’s “Schools for Africa” program. The winner of the auction lot “Gucci Experience, Milan” received the opportunity to name a Gucci bag and chose the name "Sukey". It has subsequently gone on to be one of Gucci's best selling handbags around the world.
Frida Giannini said, "It seemed fitting to dedicate a special edition Sukey bag to our ongoing efforts for UNICEF's Schools for Africa program since it was christened at our UNICEF fundraising event in 2008."
The "Gucci for UNICEF" Sukey will be available in Gucci stores in over 20 countries and at Gucci.com from April 15th, 2010 until February 28th, 2011 with a retail price of US$1,295.
The global Gucci/UNICEF partnership began in 2005, when the company introduced the first annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF. This international campaign is the most extensive philanthropic partnership in Gucci’s history, and supports UNICEF programs for orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa*. Each year, Gucci has intensified the company’s commitment to UNICEF - and to saving and improving children’s lives - by expanding the annual campaign and introducing significant new initiatives to support the partnership. In this highly active five-year period, Gucci has succeeded in committing over $7 million to UNICEF. This significant sum is a testament to the increased scale and scope of the company’s support, and has resulted in Gucci’s current status as the largest corporate donor to UNICEF’s “Schools for Africa” campaign. “Schools for Africa” aims to increase access to quality basic education for all children, with a special emphasis on helping the most disadvantaged children living in extreme poverty. As in the past, the funds raised by the Gucci campaign will support UNICEF programs in Malawi and Mozambique*, where nearly one million children have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
For more information, please visit gucci.com/unicef
*Funds generated from sales in China support UNICEF programs for children affected by HIV/AIDS in China
