Fashion

Posh lends her support to AIDS cause

Victoria Beckham in South Africa. Picture: Annie Leibovitz/Vogue.

After a recent visit to South Africa – at the personal request of Vogue editor Anna Wintour – Posh was so moved by the plight of mothers and children there she felt compelled to get involved in the Born Free campaign.

According to the Shopbop website, Born Free “invests people, time, and business acumen to significantly accelerate the pace toward elimination in the African countries most affected by this issue.”

Victoria Beckham visits a children’s hospital in South Africa. Picture: Annie Leibovitz/Vogue.

During the trip to the African continent Victoria, 40, came to learn about a revolutionary pill for pregnant mothers infected with HIV that stops them from infecting their unborn foetus.

“The fact that there is a tablet that a woman who is infected with HIV can take, that will mean that that baby will be born free of HIV – that’s incredible,” she told Vogue.

In an effort to raise funds for the preventive AIDS medicine Beckham, along with other celebrities and designers, put pen to paper and designed an adorable range of mother and daughter dresses retailing between $230 and $130 – far cheaper than her premium Victoria Beckham collection.

The Victoria Beckham for Shopbop dresses retail between $230 and $130 on the e-tailer’s website.

Beckham announced her involvement with the Shopbop initiative with a tweet last Wednesday which read: “Honoured to design mother/daughter dresses to support @BornFreeAfrica, available on @shopbop starting April 23rd x vb.”

“Seeing all of the sick children was very upsetting, and I realized how truly blessed I am for the health of my own children,” said the devoted mother-of-four. “Obviously I am a woman and I am a mother, and this touched me.”

Contemporary supermodels Sasha Pivovarova and Karolina Kurkova lent themselves to the cause. The fashion stars posed for celebrity photographer Patrick Demarchelier with their own children to drive home the touching message.

Karolina Kurkova with son Tobin and Sasha Pivovarova with daughter Mia appear in the Born Free adverts.

According to Born Free, 700 hundred children are infected with HIV everyday with via mother-to-child transmission and 98 per cent of those cases totally preventable with one pill each day.

(Left to right) Vera Wang Mini Dress $106, Celine Tote Bag $251 and Prada Pleated Skirt $274 all available online at Shopbop.

The exclusive cameo collections – all available on the Shopbop site – will see 100 per cent of the profits donated to Born Free and The M∙A∙C AIDS Fund will match all donations and the total purchase price of all products sold, up to $500,000.

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