Taking a trip to San Francisco is like stepping back into the heady days of the late 80’s (for those of you old enough to remember them). Gay flags flutter throughout the streets of Sassy Frisco’s famous gay ghetto the Castro, while the bars and shops overflow with smiling Californians. The streets of the Castro also offer some great shopping alternatives that are no longer limited to the usual leather and denim clone looks that used to be the Castro’s signature look.
These days you can find a Diesel store with all the latest looks alongside mobile phone stores and the usual bars. A couple noteworthy Castro stores combine fashion with charity work. One store sells items from caps and scarves to decorations, books and even some food to support a range of HIV/AIDS charities in the Bay area. Just across the road, the Human Rights Collective (HRC) store has a variety of clothing, with proceeds from sales going towards fighting for GLBT human rights.
The fashion fundraising in San Francisco culminates every September with the event upon which Perth’s StyleAID is based – Passport XXV. Passport encompasses three nights of fashion parades and a shopping event too good to miss.
2007 marks the 25th anniversary of Passport, Macy’s highest-profile fundraising event. Passport focuses on raising awareness and money for HIV/AIDS organizations and this year money raised passed the $25 million for HIV/AIDS charities in the U.S. While Passport’s exuberant show has always been a celebration of life, the event’s silver anniversary is, most importantly, a commemoration of the people on the front lines of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Passport honors those who have lost their lives, those who are currently infected and fighting, those who are and have been caregivers, and those who have dedicated their lives to research, support, and education.
‘People of conviction began this fight, and people of compassion must sustain it,’ says Macy’s West Chairman and CEO Robert Mettler. ‘Macy’s Passport unites the strength of conviction and the depth of compassion to raise awareness and funds for some of the most vital components in the fight against AIDS – community service, groundbreaking research, and education programs. We are committed to the cause until these three things are available to everyone, until there is a vaccine that can rid the world of this devastating disease.’
Money raised by Macy’s Passport is more needed than ever. The U.S. government’s grant process for HIV/AIDS organizations has been restructured, resulting in less federal funds for groups that are not specifically categorized as ‘health care’ providers. For many Passport beneficiaries, their Passport Fund cheque may be the largest donation they receive in 2007. This restructuring is expected to have an ongoing impact on HIV/AIDS programs, making Passport’s fundraising power all the more important in the years ahead.
On Tuesday, September 18, Macy’s and Kaiser Permanente presented Fashion Inform: HIV Prevention 101, a private event that brings the excitement and message of Passport to 2,000 Bay Area high school students. Previously called ‘Teen Night,’ the evening was renamed this year to better represent its goal of educating youth on preventing HIV/AIDS infection. Fashion Inform aims not only to dazzle and entertain its young guests, but also to share life-saving information that will keep them HIV/AIDS-free. A pre-show reception featured prevention and education activities, food, refreshments and music.
Guests of all three Passport nights enjoyed cutting-edge fashion, dance and musical performances as well as celebrity and designer special appearances. The runway show featured the latest autumn looks from Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Underwear, Marc Ecko’s Cut & Sew, Red by Marc Ecko, and Ecko Unlimited Collections, Levi’s, Epic Threadsâ„¢, Via Spiga and more. The wildly popular Academy of Art University student designer segment featured collections by AAUs top design talent. Spirit of Uganda, an award-winning African youth dance troupe headed by artistic director Peter Kasule, and a group of young American performers trained by star choreographer Brian Friedman, teamed up for an unprecedented performance in the popular dance segment.
On American Express Evening and Gala Evening, the show’s finale was a special performance by burlesque star and fashion icon Dita Von Teese, amongst a dazzling array of one-of-a-kind silver outfits. The fashions were created exclusively for Macy’s Passport by some of today’s hottest designers, including Anna Sui, Calvin Klein, Elie Tahari, Hugo Boss, Kenneth Cole, Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman, Just Sweet by Jennifer Lopez, Tommy Hilfiger, Tracy Reese and more. The items will be auctioned off on eBay.com/macyspassport beginning October 3 to raise money for the Passport Fund.
Passport XXV also offers anyone in the area the chance to purchase a shopping passport for $10, with every dollar from the passport going into the profit at the end of the event. The passport gives 20% off any purchases its owner makes over the 2 days of this special add on event. This, along with their current end of summer sales, makes for some great shopping (e.g. Kenneth Cole pants that retail for over $150 in Perth can be found for just US$25) for at least one intrepid reporter who will be returning to the Perth summer after this trip!
Macy’s in San Francisco has 2 department stores situated next door to each other. The first houses women’s and children’s, while over the road is five floors (swoon) just for men – a fashionista’s dream come true. That each dollar spent goes to support worth HIV/AIDS charities made my fashion ‘road’ trip to San Francisco worth every penny.
You can check out the great work Macy’s is doing by hitting their website at www.macys.com/passport.
