Did you know that one in four African elephants that were alive in 2007 have now been killed?
Tragically, poachers have killed roughly one quarter of Africa's elephants in just 10 years. That’s a loss of more than 110,000 individual animals.
And now, in the wake of coronavirus, the drop in tourism and travel has left elephants more in danger of exploitation than ever.
Which is why this week African conservation charity Space for Giants announced the launch of its Walk for Giants initiative in partnership with responsible gemstone sourcing company Gemfields and fashion etailer Net-a-Porter.
In order to raise funds and build awareness for the cause, both Gemfields and Net-a-Porter have released exclusive capsule collections, 100 per cent of the proceeds of which will go to Space for Giants.
“Frontline protection for elephants and the natural habitats they depend on is in crisis,” says Dr Max Graham, Founder and CEO of Space for Giants, whose work focusses on frontline protection for those elephants that remain, and on stronger prosecutions against suspected poachers. They also build fences to keep farmers and their harvests safe from 'crop-raiding' elephants, making living near wildlife less costly for families, whilst protecting elephants from retaliatory attacks.
The campaign, he says, “offers a lifeline to the work we do and the world’s remaining giants we are protecting.
The Net-a-Porter capsule is a 45-piece safari-themed collection from heritage brands such as Burberry, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Brunello Cucinelli and Chantecaille alongside emerging designers such as Hereu, Fisch and Bassike. While the 44-piece Gemfields capsule of responsibly sourced gemstones features an emerald-cut with Mozambican rubies
The campaign was shot at Enasoit Game Sanctuary in Laikipia, Kenya by Francesco Carrozzini (son of the late Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani) and features Arizona Muse and Selena Forrest wearing the safari-inspired Net-a-Porter capsule and bedecked in Gemfields jewels.
The exclusive capsule collections are available to shop on Net-a-Porter and Gemfields now.
