In a unique initiative, a famous Egyptian fashion brand has joined forces with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to raise money for Lebanon.
The initiative, which was announced during the recent El-Gouna Film Festival, was launched with a special virtual auction on a purse, custom-made by Okhtein, that is encrusted in premium colored Swarovski crystals to depict the Lebanese flag.
“The bag being auctioned was created by OKHTEIN to represent the artists’ take on the tragedy, using gold-tone colors to signify Lebanon’s state in our hearts, further designed with the colors of the Lebanese flag, signaling the strength of a country that can never be wiped off the world,” Okhtein said in a social media post.
The initiative aims to raise money to assist the victims of the Beirut Port explosion and support underprivileged refugees in Lebanon as it goes through the worst economic crisis in its history.
The auction has been active since it started on October 24th and will go on until November 10th.
“The aim of this partnership is to raise funds for UNHCR and help save lives and protect the rights of refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration, or resettlement to a third country,” the brand said in a statement.
In addition to the auction, Okhtein will be allocating a percentage of its sales proceeds from the fall and winter collections to raise awareness and funds to support UNHCR‘s active work in Lebanon in protecting the lives of refugees and asylum-seekers.
This part of the UNHCR-Okhtein collaboration will extend until June 2021.