Close To My Heart Project - Auction Fundraiser
This week on Mosov Organic’s blog we are proud to share with you a fun project that I was recently invited to be a part of.
Caroline Ochoa (Owner of Mosov) modelling the Anna Spiro Signature Dress and Khatra Nekzad modelling the Aqua door Designs Hand Printed Dress.
As a slow fashion business owner, sustainability and fashion along with social change makes a lot of sense to me- it’s why I started Mosov Organic! So when the opportunity to be part of another project which combines the three came up, I was excited to support it- and now I want to share it with you!
Artist and designer Sue-Ching Lascelles is creating beauty and happiness through textiles- and making a social impact.
Sue-Ching Lascelles, the creator, with the 5 unique designer dresses up for Auction
Sue-Ching has been making and creating for years, and gathered excitement and attention on Instagram as she began to create unique and fun clothing during the 2020 lockdowns- in particular, her Tea Towel dress, which is a gorgeous, flowy dress made completely out of vintage tea towels!
The feedback on the Tea Towel dress inspired the design for Sue’s latest project- the Close to My Heart Project, a fundraiser auction. Working with 4 talented Australian designers, Sue-Ching has created 5 unique Tea Towel dresses to auction off and support an important issue. After the recent events in Afghanistan, many of us have wanted to know how we can help the Afghan people who have been displaced. The proceeds from the fundraiser is going towards supporting two organisations: the Romero Centre, a local support centre that provides practical and financial support to refugees within the SEQ region; and Women for Women, an international organisation which provides programs which empower women survivors of war and conflict. These organisations provide vital resources to people with refugee status, who may not otherwise be able to access them. The Romero Centre has already begun supporting recently arrived Afghan refugees, providing them with basics like food, as well as legal and financial aid, which all can be difficult or impossible to access due to barriers posed by language differences, trauma, minimal government support, and culture shock.
Khatra wearing the Dancing with Juniper Dress.
Sue-Ching has been a personal friend of mine for a number of years, and when she asked me to be a part of the campaign for Close to My Heart Project, I was excited to help. My parents came to Australia from El Salvador almost 32 years ago exactly, on special humanitarian visas during the El Salvador civil war. The violence displaced almost 1 million Salvadoreans, 10,000 of which were offered humanitarian visas in Australia - my family was fortunate to be among that number. Along with slow fashion, I am also passionate about the dignified treatment of refugees, making Sue-Ching’s project also close to her heart. It was vital resource centres that helped my parents recover from the war, rebuild their lives and make Australia home - and create a home and environment for my siblings and me to grow up safely.
Caroline and Khatra modelling the two Claire Richie dresses up for Auction.
For the Close to my Heart Project instead of being behind the seams I got to experience what our Mosov models experience! Along with Khatra Nekzad, we modelled these beautiful dresses for the Auction photos! These 5 beautiful, unique dresses are up for auction until the 21st of November. If you aren’t much of a dress wearer but would love to contribute - you can make a donation through the charity auction site which will go towards both charities Sue-Ching chose.
The 4 designers donated their fabrics for this project and the photography was donated by Danielle O'Brien.
Head to the Auction Site to donate or place a bid!