a sermon on the mount, from the boot of your car.

"successful plans are those that

improve the lives of the poorest".

[mahatma gandhi]

this is a quote that follows me where ever i go. bono is widely known and respected for his awareness campaigns to make poverty history, and it was precisely this campaigning that helped shape my worldview back in the 90s. however, his latest advertising collaboration leaves me somewhat nonplussed. and with u2 in town, i'm going to have a little rant.

recently, bono and wife ali have been seen parading in the new louis vuitton core values campaign advertisement, which was shot by annie leibovitz in africa. [you can read a great article about leibovitz, by the lovely ashleigh wilson, here.] excuse me, i hear you say? yes, apparently louis vuitton is more than just an aesthetic brand name for the rich and famous. [you can read about the 'core values' here. i'm left none the wiser.] in the same ad, the pair wears and promotes their own ethical line of fashion [which, co-incidentally, is 50% owned by lvcv]. edun is a socially and ecologically [organic] conscious clothing company launched in 2005 with new york clothing designer rogan gregory. the company's mission is to create beautiful clothing, while fostering sustainable employment in developing communities, predominantly africa. it's worth having a wander around the website.

[via]

in the ad, the bag ali is holding, co-design by vuitton and edun, is entirely hand-produced by made, who promote fair trade in kenya. all profits from sales go to technoserve in africa. additionally, bono and ali's appearance fees also go towards the charity, as well as chernobyl children international and conservation cotton initiative.

but seriously, let's look at this louis vuitton thing from two angles. exactly how many louis vuitton consumers would [daily] consider buying a product based on the fact that it has 'ethical' and 'humanitarian' associations? and how many ethical people would buy a nice louis vuitton bag because bono and ali promise that it is helping humanitarian issues? or is this the start of a new way of thinking for those with excess money? why on earth did they choose louis vuitton? why not just stick to their beliefs and run edun as an independent business? with the far from affordable price tag on the clothes, it makes me wonder what the profit margin is. or how much the workers are being paid?

[from the edun/one shirt auction, 2007]

having said that, i think that the premise behind edun is bloody brilliant. bono primarily works at a macro level. he has been an advocate for raising awareness and bringing about change for global issues such as hunger, poverty and disease [particularly hiv/aids] for many years, and in 2004 he developed ONE: the campaign to make poverty history. not since live aid in 1985, has there been a greater global humanitarian awareness campaign. for his work, he was awarded the 2005 ted prize. it was ali, though, who wanted to work at a mirco level, and create greater working and trade opportunities for communities in africa. [the pair's ties with africa began in 1985.]

now, more than ever, we need to help these communities by playing a crucial role in inventing a future that effectively improves the living conditions of the urban and rural poor. strategies must be economically, socially, culturally and environmentally sustainable. and only by fully engaging communities and placing them at the centre of plans and decisions, can positive social and environmental change be facilitated. edun's mission statement implores this.

[behind the scenes at store launches]

but there are a few aspects of the venture that sit uncomfortably with me. first, flying models and photographic crews to africa for expensive shoots - profits from clothing sales would go towards this. why not engage locals? or pay the workers more? second, who on earth promotes ethical fashion at the new york fashion show? there seems to be a slight ethical dilemma in both scenarios. but, then, we live in a consumerist society, don't we?

so, is louis vuitton's association with edun simply a ploy to allow rampant consumers to feel good about their unsightly spending habits? or is it something that is real? i think bono, sadly, might have sold his soul. a soul that is worth fighting with - but i question his choices this time. we all know that famous line from muhammad ali: "it's hard to be humble, when you're as great as i am".