October, 16 2007 Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation presented a unique social collection Love Fashion AID devoted to the fight against AIDS. Each of 38 Ukrainian designers created two wedding dresses for this collection dedicated to HIV-positive people. “HIV/AIDS is not a verdict. Live is going on! And the happiness is real!” – The project participants claimed. The magic show produced by well-known Ukrainian designer Alexey Zalevskiy deeply touched guests in Ukrainian fashion Week’ pavillion and M1 Channel’ TV audience as the show was broadcasted live. HIV-positive people, Ukrainian celebrities took part in the show and Miss World 2006 Tat’ana Kucharova closed the show.

The charitable auction organized by Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation took place on November, 16 and represented social collection Love Fashion AID created by 38 Ukrainian designers. The result of the auction has broken a record of Ukraine – 535,000 USD (2, 7millions UAH) were raised. Attire from fashion-studio MUNA was the most expensive lot sold for 59 500 USD (starting price grew 405 times) to Garry Korogodsky. Nikolay Lagun, CEO of “Delta Bank”, scored the first in the number of items bought (three) and donated the largest sum of money – 104 000 USD. There was the first auction where telephone biddings were accepted.

Photo report from the show you can be downloaded at the ANTIAIDS Foundation site. Photo report from the auction is here.

“The sum raised that exceeded half a million USD demonstrates that we became more responsible to the society. People with stable business and financial status don’t turn away from social problems, don’t refuse those who wronged by life. I’m very satisfied with the result of this project that united designers, celebrities, businessmen. We gave an opportunity to everybody to make their own contribution into the fight against AIDS in Ukraine,” – Elena Franchuk said having resumed the auction.

Raised funds will be directed to equip intensive therapy unit in Lavra where people from all over Ukraine come to get qualified medical care. “We planned for a long time to improve conditions in clinic, - Svetlana Antonyak said, head of in-patient AIDS department. – We as doctors do our best, but sometimes our efforts are vain without equipment, medicines and patients’ hope of recovery. When we learnt about the amount of funds raised, all doctors were very happy. Now in addition to the belief in our strength we’ve got the confidence that hundreds of patients that didn’t have chance to survive, will be saved”.

“In this clinic thousands lives were saved. Patients from all over Ukraine come to Lavra to get qualified medical care. That’s why we decided that raised funds will be directed to equip intensive therapy unit there, - Elena Franchuk, Founder of ANTIAIDS Foundation, said.

In the beginning of the auction Elena Franchuk reported about distribution of the funds raised during previous auction (detailed information can be downloaded on the ANTIAIDS Foundation web site).

Biddings for thirty lots continued two and a half hours and highlighted on-line in the Internet. As the result of the fight between participants of the auction starting prices (100 ? per item) grew on average in 121 times.

Love Fashion AID collection was demonstrated on October, 16 2007 in frames of Ukrainian Fashion Week. “HIV/AIDS is not a verdict. Live is going on! And the happiness is real!” – The project participants claimed. That day many Ukrainian celebrities took part in the defile. Miss World Tat’ana Kucharova was the last who had come on the stage that evening. She wore a crown with diamonds and a dress from Larisa Lobanova. But the main participants were two married couples one affected by HIV. Their participation in the show was the strongest evidence that life is going on after HIV diagnosis!

Each participant of the Love Fashion AID project created their own image symbolized Love and Hope and demonstrated their vision of the collection’ slogan: “Life must go on!”.

Romantic Natal’ya Mogilevskaya accompanied by a small girl opened the show in the dress from Oksana Karavanskaya. Vasyliy Bondarchuk and Ludmila Khariv defiled in kimono by Anna Babenko. “Take care of flowers!” – Vladimir Zelenskiy appealed with the sign in his hands and erected tie. With the light touch of designer Elena Burenina flowers were placed below the belt of his modest black breeches and minimalistic dress of his long-legged companion. Lilia Litkovskaya’ dresses were demonstrated by Svetlana Loboda and her girlfriend. They played a role of HIV-positive drug using mothers. Nadezhda Meyher was absolutely fascinating in funny dress with the imprint “Vanya, I’m yours forever!” and husband-doll in the cage. Olympic champion Liliya Podkopaeva and actor Alexey Vertinskiy played a role of Bonni and Klaid due to Elena Ivanova’ flight of fantasy. Dmitry Kolyadenko accompanied by Svetlana Volnova was looked as luxurious Japanese butterfly. Red lines on their faces symbolized pain that should come through each of us. Ani Lorak was irresistible in the wedding dress from Diana Dorozhkina. She stepped at the catwalk hand by hand with a little girl. Red-and-white couple of angels – “Alibi” duet – walked in stylish dresses by Anna Bublik. It was a fortune of Natal’ya Valevskaya and Igor Kondratuk to demonstrate the clothes from Natal’ya Glazkova and Mikhail Voronin. Alexander Ponomarev appeared on the podium with his wife. Vitaliy Kozlovskiy and his lady performed their best pas, their designer for the evening was Natal’ya Glazkova. Taisiya Povaliy and Igor Likhuta were very elegantly dressed by Tatyana Zemskova, Olena Vorogbit and Mikhail Voronin. Irina Byluk attracted attention not only with astonishing dress by Sergey Ermakov – luxurious 33 feet long veil behind her back was carried by 6 soldiers with bald trunks. But the aged couple with the grey hair dressed by maestro Alexey Zalevskiy impressed the audience the most. Their tender waltz in the lonely light ray was the magic beginning of the show culmination.

Miss World Tat’ana Kucharova was the last who had come on the stage that evening. She wore a crown with diamonds and a dress from Larisa Lobanova. On the day of defile Tat’ana Kucharova, Julia Morley, Miss World Organization Chairman and Chief Executive, and Elena Franchuk, Founder of the ANTIAIDS Foundation, had a meeting with the medical staff and patients of the Lavra hospital for people with HIV/AIDS. They also visited Kiev orphanage “Berezka”, the home for HIV-positive children. Miss World visited Ukraine under special invitation of Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation to participate in the social defile Love Fashion AID. Before defile she decided to meet HIV-positive people in person and to learn more about HIV/AIDS problem in Ukraine. Miss World traditionally participates in the numerous charitable programs over the world.

“I was impressed with HIV/AIDS situation in Ukraine, with the epidemic rates and the numbers of affected people and children. First of all, I want to help people living with HIV. I think, it is great that so many prominent and successful Ukrainian people united to draw attention to the AIDS problem”, - Tat’yana Kucharova says.

But the main participants were two married couples one affected by HIV. Their participation in the show was the strongest evidence that life is going on after HIV diagnosis! They as the real heroes of the evening were given the honour through storm of applause by designers, celebrities and journalists during the press-conference at the end of the show.

All guests of the show received condoms in black ANTIAIDS branded package provided by TM Contex.

“Love Fashion AID project united many Ukrainian celebrities who agreed to support HIV-positive people and to attract attention to the HIV/AIDS problem in our country. We should keep reminding to the society that Ukraine has the fastest growing HIV/AIDS rates in Europe. While we invest skills and resources for treatment and support of one infected person, HIV is affecting dozens of Ukrainians. If AIDS is the disease of concrete person, HIV epidemic is the disease of the society. We are happy that celebrities, loved by millions people, made their contribution to the fight against this epidemic. Celebrities are the role models, especially for youth, the most vulnerable group. And it is very important that their idols demonstrated their social position, stepping at the catwalk hand by hand with HIV-positive people. It give us the hope to change the attitude of the society towards AIDS problem and that we have chance to combat stigma and discrimination connected with HIV”, - Elena Franchuk consider.

That was already the second fashion show of Ukrainian designers organized in the context of ANTIAIDS Foundation project Fashion AID and aimed to support people living with HIV. The first collection created by Ukrainian designers was represented in March, 2007 during Ukrainian Fashion Week. At that time 30 designers united to claim their social position and created red attires dedicated to the fight against AIDS. That collection was sold on charitable auction organized by ANTIAIDS Foundation and raised 203 260 USD. These means were spent to support two families that fostered eight HIV-positive children. That was precedent for Ukraine, because orphans with HIV diagnosis have never been adopted before. To improve living conditions of these kids Foundation bought house and flat in Makeyevka for these foster families; the part of means directed to the project of financial support HIV-positive children by deposit account, to arrangement of the playground in Kiev orphanage “Berezka”, to summer vacation of HIV-positive orphans from Odessa, Poltava, Kiev.

Participants of Love Fashion AID project:

• Victor Anisimov
• Anna Babenko
• Pavel Baklagin
• Svetlana Bevza
• Anna Bublik
• Elena Burenina
• Olena Vorogbit
• Mikhail Voronin
• Annette Görtz
• Natalya Glazkova
• Anna Glubina
• Olena Golets
• Viktoriya Gres
• Kristina Gusina
• Olena Dats’
• Diana Dorozhkina
• Tatyana Zemskova
• Sergey Ermakov
• Alexey Zalevskiy
• Lena Ivanova
• Irina Karavay
• Oksana Karavanskaya
• Olesya Kirichenko
• Artem Klimchuk
• Ilona Cootz
• Liliya Litkovskaya
• Larisa Lobanova
• Kseniya Marchenko
• Marina Mulyar
• Eduard Nasurov
• Katerina Oksanitch
• Olga Polukhovich
• Liliya Poustovit
• Ludmila Sedlyar
• Serge Smolin
• Anna Sosnovskaya
• Andre TAN
• Viktoriya Chikulay