world aids day + franco moschino
December 1, 2009
today is world AIDS day. please take a moment to remember those who were/are affected by this terrible disease. this year, a distant cousin, whom i’ve never met, passed away from aids. he was my cousin’s cousin from her dad side of the family. though i’ve never even talked to (or heard about) him before, it still saddened me upon learning about his passing. by the time my cousin and the family heard of his condition, he was in his final month… i’ve never known anyone (or anyone who knew someone) who has/had aids. i remember the first time i was aware about this disease was when the franco moschino foundation was established, after the late franco moschino passed away, to help children who’s battling HIV and AIDS. he was one of the few fashion designers who inspired me when i was a kid. growing up, there were always tons of fashion magazines and fashion house catalogues lying around the house. while my mom and sisters were enjoying being informed of the latest fashion trend season after season, i was more intrigued by the creations, the details, the colors, the constructions, and the designers behind the master pieces. silly it may sound, but when i was in elementary up til high school, i was able to identify the fashion house that created/designed the garment without peeping at the labels (which would come in handy being in the fashion industry.) franco moschino caught my attention because of his whimsical style of adding humor to fashion in a decoratively clever way, like adding bright red ‘lips’ and hearts onto a classic chanel jacket and chained bags, like stitching “pasta” in resemblance of “prada” onto the totes, etc., etc. of course not everyone was amused and he had received his fair share of ‘courtesy letters’ from fashion houses whom his collections were inspired by (or ‘made fun’ of :p) stepping into a moschino boutique is always a fun experience. it just makes you smile. it seems like when i hear of AIDS day or any aids awareness events, i would remember this brilliant designer and walk down my own memory lane. til this day, moschino remains to be one of my favorite fashion house. franco really opened my eyes at that tender age with a new perspective…, that rules are sometimes meant to be broken, that we should not be afraid to be different, that we’re encouraged to think outside the box, and how important it is to have humor in our life. no matter where you are in your creative journey, i wish you all the best and that you can always find inspirations in everything or stories around you. always keep your heart and eyes open, and you’ll start seeing magic. :)
and in honor of world AIDS day and of everyone affected by cancer (be it as a cancer patient, survivor, or families and friends), here is a really inspiring and uplifting pink glove dance youtube clip i would like to share with you. as you know october is national breast cancer awareness month, but of course any cancer awareness is a daily effort. this video has been a work of love…heartwarmingly and brilliantly put together by the amazing people at the providence st. vincent hospital in portland, oregon. the video makes me smile, cry, and is simply an inspiration. enjoy and don’t forget to give your loved ones a big hug. xoxo
The Moschino jackets look really pretty, especially the pink one. I’m sorry to hear about your distant cousin. The video is great! Thanks for your inspiration and words!
That was beautiful! I had a big grin on my face the whole time I was watching it. It’s wonderful when a large group of people can get together to promote a worthy cause in such a creative and fun way.
…I was commenting on the video by-the-way. =)
I adore the pink Moschino jacket too…thanks for such an inspirational post and your words are beautiful! So sorry to hear about your distant cousin. I hope you have a good happy merry mid-week and love to you!
This video has really been gaining popularity. They did a piece on CNN about it a couple of days ago.
Happy new year! Wishing you and yours many beautiful moments in 2010! Love to you!