REGISTRATION
INFORMATION
World University Rankings - Top 600

Fashion Designer and UNAIDS Ambassador Visits DUT

Fashion Designer and UNAIDS Ambassador Visits DUT

Global fashion designer and UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador, Kenneth Cole, visited the Durban University of Technology on Tuesday, 07 March 2017, where he spoke about his success as a fashion brand and most importantly, the role he plays in raising awareness and sharing knowledge about HIV/AIDS worldwide.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 United Nations organisations- UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank- and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Alasdair Reid, UNAIDS Communications Focal Point; Professor Sibusiso Moyo, Research and Postgraduate Support Director and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Engagement at DUT; Dr Rev Delysia Timm, Institutional General Education Co-ordinator at DUT; Dr Aliakbar Fassihi, Clothing Management and Textile Studies HoD; Sunthra Moodley, Fashion and Textile Studies HoD, DUT students, representatives from the U.S. Consulate General in Durban as well as officials from the eThekwini Municipality were in attendance.

unnamed (54)

The event was organised by the University’s Faculty of Applied Sciences under the helm of its Executive Dean, Professor Suren Singh.

Speaking at the event, Prof Singh welcomed the fashion mogul and Chairman – since 2005- of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR), a leading organisation dedicated to the support of HIV/AIDS research. Prof Singh said Cole’s visit to KwaZulu-Natal was to make a mark in a province that is in dire need of HIV/AIDS interventions. “We are entering a crucial phase of the response to HIV and I know that Kenneth can make a significant and powerful contribution towards our shared vision of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030,” he said.

Cole, one of the leading voices in the global response to HIV/AIDS for more than 30 years, said his role as an ambassador is to rally the global community by continuing his role as an advocate for an inclusive response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. “I am honoured by this appointment as a UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador. It is my hope to help intensify efforts to end the epidemic for everyone, everywhere. I am happy to be in Durban and partnerships need to become more the norm than the intention,” he said.

Cole is also known for his socially conscious brand of marketing as he often pairs clothing adverts with charitable messages dealing with causes such as HIV/AIDS and homelessness. One of such ads was a campaign where he designed t-shirts sold at Barneys New York, Scoop and Louis Boston. The messages on the t-shirts stated either: “We All Have AIDS” or “I Have AIDS.” He created the shirts in the hope that those with who were not infected with he virus would wear the shirts to help diminish the stigma about the disease. “I am confident that if people are put at the centre of the HIV/AIDS response, we can realise one of this century’s greatest humanitarian achievements- the end of the AIDS epidemic,” he said.

Besides speaking about his important role as an ambassador, Cole also spoke about his fashion brand and gave advice to the aspiring fashion students. “In the fashion business, there weren’t any rules. In fact, the better you were at creating something new, the greater the likelihood you would be successful,” he said.
Concluding the event, Prof Singh said that Cole’s commitment, compassion and resolve would magnify his efforts to include everyone in the progress towards an HIV free generation.

– Waheeda Peters

Pictured: Professor Suren Singh (right), DUT Applied Sciences Faculty Executive Dean with Kenneth Cole, UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador, at the event. Also pictured are DUT students with Cole.

No comments