Proceeds from the auction to benefit FACE Africa, an organization working to rebuild communities in war-torn Liberia
On Monday, September 27th, reality television star and fashion designer, Whitney Port will auction off a few of her personal pieces on I-ELLA.com, a new invitation-only online marketplace that allows its members to buy, sell, borrow, and swap top fashion brands. Each week the site partners with celebrities for an exclusive charity auction to benefit their organization of choice. Since the site’s launch on September 13th, legendary stylist and editor Mary Alice Stephenson and supermodel Veronica Webb have held auctions featuring coveted pieces from Lanvin, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and more to benefit Free Arts and Harlem United.
Proceeds from Port’s auction will benefit FACE Africa, an organization working to rebuild communities affected by years of civil war in Liberia. Next month, The City star is scheduled to travel to Liberia as part of a humanitarian mission with FACE Africa. The trip is being sponsored by Symphony Style, the Dubai Mall’s first and only luxury concept boutique which carries brands like Ports 1961, Vera Wang, Thakoon, Halston, and beginning this fall, Port’s Whitney Eve line. Port will attend the store’s official grand opening in Dubai on October 7th before heading to Liberia.
Under Symphony’s sponsorship, Port will spend four days in Liberia visiting and learning about FACE Africa’s current projects on the ground. More importantly, she will be visiting and supporting a women’s factory in Monrovia called the Liberian Women’s Sewing Project, an organization that provides employment and economic opportunities for women. The pilot factory currently produces t-shirts and other cotton knit apparel using fair-trade and eco-friendly practices. Port plans to work with the Liberian Women Sewing Project to design handmade t-shirts that will be produced entirely in Liberia, directly helping to create employment opportunities and boost local economies. The t-shirts will be marketed and sold on I-ELLA.com and other outlets with proceeds going to fund clean water, health, and social programs that benefit young girls and women in Liberia.
Port is no stranger to giving back. In 2008, she partnered up with The Urban Village, a knitting cooperative in Rwanda that helps its citizens build better lives, to release a line of mohair and silk scarves under her fashion label Whitney Eve. The project allowed the women to not only have careers, but helped in creating a sustainable economy in their villages as well.
Joining Port will also be her father, Jeff Port and her younger sister Paige. The trip will be featured on an upcoming television program set to be released early 2011.
Visit I-Ella.com for more details.
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