A Prada charity auction raises almost €440,000, benefitting women's education
An outfit worn by model Gigi Hadid sold for €6,048, while another garment worn by Kaia Gerber sold for €4,788. All proceeds from the auction are being donated to UNESCO’s COVID-19 Global Education Coalition Initiatives.
Prada's Tools of Memory Sotheby's auction featured garments, accessories and set items from the fashion house's Fall/Winter 2020 runway shows. (Photo: AFP/Miguel Medina)
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Prada said in July that it was collaborating with Sotheby’s to auction garments and props used to stage the 2020 Fall/Winter men’s and women’s fashion shows, held in January and February this year.
The unprecedented auction has now raked in a total of €439,352 (S$701,928), over the initial estimate of between €248,600 to €337,200.
The Fall/Winter 2020 shows were Miuccia Prada’s final individual showing before Raf Simons came on board as co-creative director.
The auction, titled Tools of Memory, consisted of one-of-a-kind fashion garments worn by models, accessories and even set components from the shows. A total of 72 lots were up for bidding.
The most expensive lot ended up being Atlas, a statue shaped from wood and coated in a glossy crimson finish by Dutch architect and artist Rem Koolhaas. The statue was originally estimated to sell for between €5,000 to €7,000, but went under the hammer for €50,400.
Six photographic prints shot by Gigi Hadid, Daniel Arnold and Philip Meech were also hot ticket items, receiving a total of 129 bids.
On the fashion side, the highest lot was an embroidered organza dress with accompanying choker, metal headband, vanity bracelet and two-toned brushed and patent leather Mary Jane pumps. The lot was sold for €17,640, surpassing its estimate of between €13,000 to €15,000.
Meanwhile, an outfit worn by model Gigi Hadid sold for €6,048, while another garment worn by Kaia Gerber sold for €4,788.
All proceeds from the auction will be donated to UNESCO’s COVID-19 Global Education Coalition Initiatives.
In particular, the proceeds raised in the auction will benefit UNESCO’s new campaign titled Keeping Girls in the Picture, which has been leading collaborative efforts to promote the continuity of learning during school closures and ensure a safe return to school for women across the globe.
“I think that in this moment what I can do with my work is to do something that is meaningful, real, that can express various intentions, different meanings. The collections are about personality, craft, a creative contribution. The meaning and usefulness of fashion today: Use and utility, function. Clothes as tools, tools for life – fashion with a purpose,” said Miuccia Prada.
"I think that in this moment what I can do with my work is to do something that is meaningful, real, that can express various intentions, different meanings." – Miuccia Prada
