Joan Smalls is partnering with British Vogue for an amazing cause. The Puerto Rican supermodel is joining 22 other models from around the world for the Hardly Ever Worn It initiative. For the cause, the models will auction some of their favorite pieces with the proceeds going towards the NHS Charities Together and the NAACP. Joan is auctioning off her favorite purse by Givenchy. Gigi Hadid (who poses with her boyfriend and father of her child Zayn Malik) is auctioning pieces by Fenty and Dior. Irina Shayk is auctioning off her Burberry leopard skirt and red leather bag.
To ensure that all of the items belong to the models who are putting them up for grabs, the superstars all pose with the pieces for fans to see. In addition, Karlie Kloss, Ashley Graham, Bella Hadid, Lily Aldridge and more of the biggest names in high fashion are participating in the initiative which ends on June 11.
The NHS Charities Together raises money to fund better hospitals and the staff who work in them to ensure a pleasant experience for patients in the UK. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is a historic civil rights organization aimed at eliminating race-based discrimination.
Joan’s participation in the auction comes after she has spoken out about the recent racial divide in the United States, following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police. In a post captioned “BLM” (Black Lives Matter), the 31-year-old spoke about the how the recent events have left her “depleted, angered and sickened.”
“I’m spiritually exhausted for humanity. I too want to feel free. I want my people to be free, free of prejudice, free of systematic oppression and free of racial profiling,” she wrote next to a video of Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream speech.
“Is it too much to ask for to live and rejoice in a world filled with kindness and fairness. And this is why I implore you, SHINE! So your light can never be dimmed and we will continue to walk with our heads held high and wear our strength with pride. #blacklivesmatter.”