Elle Macpherson in the jumpsuit she donated
Gisele Bünchen’s Louis Vuitton boots? Karlie Kloss’s denim jacket? Jess Hart’s cute evening clutch? Ever wished you could plunder the closets of your favourite models? Wish no longer.
German model and genuinely lovely human Toni Garrn has been busy begging her fashion friends to donate pieces from their wardrobes to her roving pop-up shop, which helps fund educational opportunities for girls in Zimbabwe.
The shop debuted in Berlin earlier in the month, then hit London. This weekend it popped up in Paris, where Elle Macpherson’s lace jumpsuit and a fur coat donated by Naomi Campbell were star attractions.
The idea began during New York fashion week in 2015 when Garrn held her first ‘Supermodel Flea Market’.
Now she has hooked up with Vestiaire Collective, fashion’s favourite designer “re-commerce” website, to take the project both on the road and online. All proceeds go to her Toni Garrn Foundation which works in partnership with NGO, Plan International.
“This is something really close to my heart,” Garrn told us at the Paris bash, where shoppers included Natalia Vodianova. After visiting Zimbabwe for a shoot, Garrn witnessed first-hand the problems facing girls when it comes to education.
“Often, they have to walk long distances to get to school, which puts them at risk of assault in some areas,” she explained. Her foundation is building infrastructure to combat this, with girls’ hostel accommodation recently completed at one secondary school, and new a toilet and wash room block at another.
“This is really working,” said Garrn, scrolling through her phone to show us photos and texts from her partners on the ground in Zimbabwe. “Look! It’s so exciting. We can really make a difference. Do you want to buy this bag?” she added, proffering a hot pink clutch from her own collection. “You really should! Or one of the T-shirts? Go on!”
Said T-shirts have been designed by Bella Freud for the Vestiaire collab, and carry the slogan, ‘Girl Power.’ As with all the resale pieces sourced by Garrn, 100 per cent of the proceeds go to the charity.
In Paris Kate Moss’s customised denim jacket was snapped up immediately by a super-fan, but there are still pieces available to shop online once worn by Garrn, Campbell, Lily Donaldson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and more. Run, don’t walk.
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