On Thursday, Sept. 8, I ventured out into the heart of Manhattan’s Lower East Side to attend the 7th Annual NYFW Fashion for Charity Event: Rising Stars of New York Fashion, hosted by former Miss Africa, supermodel, and humanitarian, Georgie Badiel of the Georgie Badiel Foundation.
On the corner of Delancey and Ludlow, in the “Red Room” on the second floor of The DL, a club-vibe with a one-hour open bar welcomed hundreds of guests to come and enjoy what I later found to be one of the most inspiring runway shows of NYFW.
Midst the crowd of dancing attendees, I spotted Badiel. Hoping she would have the time to give me a quote or two about the show, I shuffled my way across the dance floor to introduce myself, completely unprepared for Badiel’s generous greeting.
Lit with excitement, she grabbed my hand and led me through the mass of dancers, photographers, and security guards. Before I knew it, we were sitting together on a large, red sofa in the roped-off VIP area.
Within minutes of listening to Georgie’s story, I realized that this show wasn’t just a show. This show wasn’t about fashion, or dancing, or alcohol – this show was about love.
A photo posted by Tabitha Shiflett (@tabithainthecity) on Sep 8, 2016 at 7:59pm PDT
Georgie, like many of the boys and girls growing up in the small West African country of Burkina Faso, had to walk miles from her home village to fetch clean water and carry it back in a pot on top of her head.
“When I was a young girl, my grandmother would wake me at 6 a.m. every morning to go and get clean water for my family,” she said. “I’d complain that it was too early, and that I didn’t want to go and get the water. I didn’t want to wake up. It wasn’t fair, and I’d always ask why we had to struggle for something as simple as water.”
According to the nonprofit WaterAid, more than 6,000 Burkina Faso children under five years old die annually from poor water and sanitation.
In hopes of changing things for her homeland, Badiel founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation – a nonprofit charitable organization that provides access to clean drinking water in Burkina Faso by building and restoring water wells.
“When I began modeling, I traveled a lot and I forgot the reality of the world I used to live in until I visited my sister in 2009,” she said. “My sister was three weeks pregnant, getting up at 2 a.m. to go and get clean water. This broke my heart, and I knew then that I had to make a change.”
Scrolling through the pictures on her phone, Badiel showed me several photos of her home village.
“So far, the Georgie Badiel Foundation has provided 25,000 people with clean drinking water,” Georgie said flipping through the camera roll on her iPhone. “Each time we build a well, I go. I want to make sure that everything is done right.”
Georgie said 100 percent of the proceeds for the night’s show would go to her foundation.
Toward the end of our conversation, Georgie confided that she adopted an orphaned girl named Rose, who is now in high school.
“She is my daughter now,” Badiel exclaimed, before bouncing up to introduce me to one of the featured designers, Ferret Campos of Ferret Campos Designs.
“Here, please interview Ferret. He is amazing,” she said as they both walked me backstage to the hive of buzzing models, hairdressers, and makeup artists. There, a cohesive team lined up behind Ferret to speak with me, models whirling around us.
“Georgie is a great person and my best friend,” Campos said. “I think it is wonderful that she is bringing people together through fashion to help others in need.”
Campos later showed a variety of elegant evening gowns, ending the night with his very first menswear ensemble.
“Ferret’s designs are tasteful – he really stays true to his roots,” makeup artist and show sponsor Sami Rivera said. “Tonight had such a great turnout and we’re really excited to be a part of something so amazing. There’s so much to look forward to, not only for the Georgie Badiel Foundation, but for Ferret, as well.”
In addition to a live performance intermission by Heidi Merrill, the show also featured two collections by emerging designer Peter Curti, Unity Vintage Jeans Co., and his recently launched women’s evening wear brand, House of Peter James, with jewelry provided by Olga Parkers Jewelry.
The 7th Annual NYFW Fashion for Charity Event: Rising Stars of New York Fashion was presented by Prive Group. Sponsors: Star Vodka, Sigma Pro, Sami Rivera, Rare Magazine, Eurocircle, Dining Engagement Group, Andrea Maack Fragrance Collection