Lingerie brand Coco de Mer has partnered with model and activist Waris Dirie, and her organization The Desert Flower Foundation, to put an end to female genital mutilation. Dirie is the new face of the brand’s Icons line, photographed by Rankin. A percentage of all the proceeds from the sales of the collection — available online now — will go to The Desert Flower Foundation.
“We hope that this collaboration will bring awareness and help eradicate such a cruel and inhumane practice,” said Lucy Litwack, CEO of Coco de Mer. “I believe FGM is not discussed widely enough and through this collaboration, we are trying to bring the conversation to the table. It is time to put a stop to a ritual which is unnecessarily harming countless young girls and women.”
-
- (Rankin)
-
- (Rankin)
Dirie was born in Somalia in 1965, and was subjected to FGM at the age of five. At 13 she fled the country, escaping an arranged marriage. At 18 she was discovered by famed photographed Terence Donovan, launching a modeling career. She has since dedicated her life and her platform to speaking out against FGM, working to put an end to the practice. She founded The Desert Flower Foundation in 2002.
-
- (Rankin)
-
- (Rankin)
“This is such a personal fight for me and I will contribute all I can to eradicate the evil practice of FGM worldwide. However, standing alone is not enough,” Dirie said. “All around the world, I implore everyone to join the fight against the horrific practice of FGM. Working with Coco de Mer has given us a further platform to spread our message and we hope that it will start a conversation that is long overdue.”
Rankin, The Desert Flower Foundation, and Coco de Mer have also teamed up on a video to further bring awareness to the issue. Additionally the film aims to collect 10 million signatures by the end of 2019 to finally eradicate FGM indefinitely. Click here to add your signature, and watch the film for yourself below.
The Icons collection ranges in price from $72 to $386. It is available online now, as well as at stockists globally.
Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest fashion news and juicy industry gossip.
