January 3, 2007

Stockholm, Sweden - The internationally renowned French design duo, Marithé & François Girbaud, have joined forces with the organization, Seeds of Peace, in order to foster grassroots peace efforts among the people of the world. This organization brings together children from areas of great conflict from around the world.

In an intimate press conference held in Paris, the Girbauds recently brought together international fashion media at their offices at the Place André Malraux in order to announce their participation with the Seeds of Peace (SoP). At the same time, they unveiled their new campaign, which has been conceived to bring attention to the organization.

The children live together at the SoP Internationational camp in Maine. They eat together, play together and bunk together. Isolated in many ways from the world they know, they learn to know their neighbors from other countries who would otherwise be considered their natural enemies due to political, religious or regional confrontations.

The children are screened and selected by a panel from the Ministry of Education from each concerned country. Children are selected based on their potential and skills in English, which is the universal language used at the camp. Once the camp has finished, participants take part in follow-up training via youth conferences, regional workshops, educational and professional opportunities and an adult educator program. Through all this, they learn the values and principles of empathy, respect, leadership and confidence as well as communications and negotiation skills.

The Girbauds have for a long time been considered as the idealists of a fashion industry which has the reputation of caring only for itself. They share the values of bringing people together to create peace in a world obsessed with “me-ness”, individualism and materialism. Their company will provide clothes for all the...

1 2 3