Non-profit organization ‘Beauty Without Irony’ has launched the international project ‘Designers Against AIDS’ (DAA) in 2004 in order to raise AIDS awareness in the international media and towards the general public, more specifically towards young people in the industrialised countries using elements from pop culture (music, fashion, design, arts, sports, film, celebrities, etc).
HOW DOES DAA WORK?
AIDS awareness project Designers Against AIDS -born in Belgium, but active all over the world- wants to reach young people by using their favorite celebrities from the worlds of music, fashion, sports and art to raise their interest and curiosity, making them visit the website www.designersagainstaids.com, click on the links to local AIDS organisations and learn more about the disease.
The main objective of Designers against AIDS is to raise awareness and to get the subject of HIV/AIDS back into the media all over the world, as lately it has become a forgotten disease, especially in the western world. Our messages are: ‘Prevention is the only cure for HIV/AIDS‘ (protect yourself and your partner) and ‘Know your status’ (get tested). Furthermore we fight for the acceptance of and equal rights for seropositive people.
This image, made by Michael James O'Brien and Zoltan Gerliczki, of all the artworks that were donated to Designers Against Aids by talented photographers and contemporary artists and were sold at the benefit auction at Campo & Campo in Antwerp last Friday.
A big thank you is in order for everybody who helped DAA make this event a big success.
Order Your Book Online Today- Only 100 Copies Left Of The First Print!
With a never before published photo of Marilyn Monroe and over 100 more pictures that show pure beauty in all its forms by artists as varied as former top model Veruschka, Ali Mahdavi, Olaf Breuning, Daniel Jackson, Michel Comte, Yoko Ono, Marc Atlan, Moby, Dita Von Teese, Marc Jacobs, Oliviero Toscani, Katy Perry, Erwin Olaf and many, many more, the book 'Designers against AIDS: The First Decade!' resolutely draws the card of optimism, joy, a celebration of beauty and lust for life when it comes to HIV prevention work. Scare tactics just aren't effective anymore and who wouldn't rather be seduced by beauty than by suffering?
Ten years ago the first HIV/AIDS project of Designers against AIDS' founder and director Ninette Murk was born and since then it's been one crazy ride: starting small, but with big plans and a truckload of positivity, DAA started working on its mission to spread the safe sex message among youth worldwide. Looking back on this first decade of the organisation you'll see it's a history of passion and beauty, fun and positivity. Four years ago we started the collaboration with H&M for Fashion against AIDS and from then on everything went so fast that it's like a dream that came true. So many nice flashbacks of campaigns, people, places... The book highlights the most inspiring moments and also shows pictures of over 120 great artists who have supported us over the years and who gave us photos that to them represent pure beauty. Because if you realize that life is worth living, you will be careful not to mess it up.
On WAD December 1 we will take DAA to the next level, when we open our first International HIV/AIDS Awareness Education Center (IHAEC) in Antwerp, Belgium. A place where students from all over the world can come and learn how to set up successful HIV prevention and awareness programs, implementing the same pop culture based methods as used by DAA. This means that the DAA family will become bigger and that we will be able to reach out to even more people- how cool is that? Part of the sales proceeds of the book will help finance the running of our center, so your purchase is very welcome and needed.
How to order the book online:
100 more DAA supporters can order the book directly from Designers against AIDS. For this, send 29,95 euros plus the shipping costs for your part of the world (see below to calculate the total) to our PayPal account. Simply go to www.paypal.com, then click the 'Send Money' tab, put 'info@designersagainstaids.com' as the email address, add the total amount (29,95 per book plus shipping costs) and the name and address where we should send the book(s).
Shipping costs
Belgium: 7€ (1 or 2 books); 12 € (3-5 books)
Europe: 17€ (1 or 2 books); 27€ (3-5 books)
Rest of the world: 22 € (1 or 2 books); 44€ (3-5 books)
Please contact us for shipping expenses for larger orders.
Other locations to buy the book:
About the book:
The initiative Designers against AIDS (DAA) began ten years ago. Since then it has manifested itself with fashion campaigns such as Fashion against AIDS, in which it collaborated with several fashion houses, the best photographers and designers and stars from the rock and pop culture, who all lent themselves for the good cause – making people aware about HIV/AIDS in a positive way and removing the stigma of being seropositive by the creation of beauty. This book is a celebration of pure beauty, idealism and a lust for life.
Ten years later there is still a lot of work to be done. The founder of DAA and of the mother organisation Beauty without Irony, Ninette Murk, was asked whether she would like to turn the direct message of more beauty in the world, of a positive attitude and of tolerance into a book. That book is now out: Designers against AIDS: The First Decade.
The book looks back on past initiatives and campaigns, covering all the highlights and the most beautiful images. Peter Piot, former chairman of UNAIDS, the philosopher and writer Alain de Botton and Ninette Murk herself wrote the texts. The cover photo is by Erwin Olaf while a FAA campaign poster featuring German band Tokio Hotel will be inserted in every book.
It is a book to look forward to, that looks back on the past and forwards to the future. Part of the revenue from sales will go to the DAA Education Center.
Publication date: 29/10/2010
Softcover / English / 25 x 35 cm / 160 pp. / 29,90 euro / ISBN 978-90-5544-841-8
Design / Concept by BaseDesign
The initiative Designers against AIDS (DAA) began ten years ago. Since then it has manifested itself with fashion campaigns such as Fashion against AIDS, in which it collaborated with several fashion houses, the best photographers and designers and stars from the rock and pop culture, who all lent themselves for the good cause – making people aware about HIV/AIDS in a positive way and removing the stigma of being seropositive by the creation of beauty. This book is a celebration of pure beauty, idealism and a lust for life.
Ten years later there is still a lot of work to be done. The founder of DAA and of the mother organisation Beauty without Irony, Ninette Murk, was asked whether she would like to turn the direct message of more beauty in the world, of a positive attitude and of tolerance into a book. That book is now out: Designers against AIDS: The First Decade.
The book looks back on past initiatives and campaigns, covering all the highlights and the most beautiful images. Peter Piot, former chairman of UNAIDS, the philosopher and writer Alain de Botton and Ninette Murk herself wrote the texts. The cover photo is by Erwin Olaf while a FAA campaign poster featuring German band Tokio Hotel will be inserted in every book.
It is a book to look forward to, that looks back on the past and forwards to the future. Part of the revenue from sales will go to the DAA Education Center.
Publication date: 29/10/2010
Softcover / English / 25 x 35 cm / 160 pp. / 29,90 euro / ISBN 978-90-5544-841-8
Design / Concept by BaseDesign
