Lotus and Naomi Campbell raise €1.4m for Haiti

The eight special edition ‘Naomi for Haiti’ Evoras auctioned to raise money for Haiti relief charities have raised in excess of €1.4 million.

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As part of a collaboration with Naomi Campbell and the White Ribbon Alliance’s Fashion for Relief campaign, Lotus has designed and donated eight bespoke charity cars to help raise essential funds for mothers, children and babies struggling to survive in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake that hit the Caribbean country of Haiti on 12th of January.

Naomi commented on Lotus Cars’ contribution, “Lotus Cars has been Fashion for Relief’s biggest supporter and has been instrumental in helping us to raise crucial funds for The White Ribbon Alliance and its partners in Haiti who are working towards rebuilding the healthcare system for mothers and babies.

“To have Lotus on board supporting Fashion for Relief is very important to Sarah Brown, myself and everyone at The White Ribbon Alliance and we are truly very grateful.”

Lotus CEO, Dany Bahar said “It was a great pleasure for Lotus to work with Naomi and the White Ribbon Alliance for this excellent cause and we are delighted that by working with Naomi, our suppliers and the generosity of the bidders, we have been able to raise such a significant sum of money to help those in need during this difficult time.”

[press release from Lotus]

Naomi Campbell thanks Lotus Cars

Lotus, Britain’s leading sportscar company was honoured to welcome supermodel Naomi Campbell to its Norfolk HQ when she visited to thank the workforce for their support in her fundraising efforts for victims affected by Haiti’s tragic earthquake.

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Part of Naomi’s plans to achieve maximum charitable support for ‘Fashion for ReliefTM’ includes a collaboration with sportscar company Lotus and together they have developed a scheme for eight ‘Naomi for Haiti’ limited edition Lotus Evoras.

Proceeds from the sale of the eight ‘Naomi for Haiti’ Evoras will be donated to the Fashion for ReliefTM Haiti appeal and are expected to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the cause. Bidding commenced at last Thursday’s Fashion for Relief catwalk show (18 February 2010) when the first of the eight cars went under the hammer and achieved an incredible £320,000. Cars Two and Three also went under the hammer that night, raising £460,000 and the remaining five cars are available to the highest bidder on www.naomiforhaiti.com

During her visit to Lotus, Naomi met the designers and production teams responsible for bringing this very special project together. Each of the Lotus employees involved in creating the eight ‘Naomi for Haiti’ Evoras has donated their time and expertise to the project and Naomi was keen to thank all involved for their generosity.

Naomi spoke directly to the Lotus team commenting, “I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has generously donated their time and effort to make Fashion For Relief happen. I’m thrilled with the support from Lotus and to have teamed up with my great friend Gino Rosato for this important cause. I hope we continue to raise awareness and as many funds as we can.”

Whilst Naomi was at Lotus she posed alongside F1 Driver Jarno Trulli and former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad with a replica of the ‘Naomi for Haiti’ Lotus.

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar commented on the pleasure the Lotus team took in Naomi’s visit, “Lotus is honoured to work with Naomi on this extremely important campaign for Haiti. I am so proud of the efforts the Lotus people have gone to to ensure Lotus can contribute to the Fashion for Relief charity and support those in need and distress. Naomi’s visit has had a great impact on the workforce who were thrilled to see such a high profile celebrity contribute her time to charity, just as they themselves have done.”

[press release from Lotus]

Naomi Campbell and Lotus Cars join forces for Haiti

In response to the horrific natural disaster that has crippled the nation of Haiti, Naomi Campbell together with Lotus Cars will be auctioning eight special edition “Naomi for Haiti” Lotus Evora sports cars, with the proceeds from the auction going to help the relief effort in Haiti.

Naomi for Haiti exterior

The Lotus Evora is a very desirable, multi-award winning, high performance, mid-engined sports car that presents a fantastic piece of design to bid on. The “Naomi for Haiti” Evora sports car has been specially designed by Lotus Design Director Donato Coco and reflects Naomi’s design direction. The bespoke styling combines the flag of Haiti with a dramatic colour scheme and the cars include a full range of options, meaning these cars will all become desirable collectors items.

Naomi for Haiti Interior

The “Naomi for Haiti” Evoras will be auctioned at Naomi Campbell’s Fashion for Relief TM charity fashion show on the 18th of February at the London Fashion Week venue at Somerset House. The remaining “Naomi for Haiti” Evoras will be entered into an auction run on the “Naomi for Haiti” website www.naomiforhaiti.com and bidding will commence at 0800 GMT on the 19th of February and will end at 1200 noon GMT on 28th of February 2010.

The grand total raised for the charity and the highest bidders will be announced by Naomi Campbell at the Geneva Motorshow on the 2nd of March. There will also be a link to the “Naomi for Haiti” website from the Lotus Cars website http://www.grouplotus.com/cars/home.html.

The Fashion For Relief TM event has selected to support the White Ribbon Alliance as it campaigns for the health needs and rights of women and girls around the world, especially supporting its partners in Haiti at this time to rebuild the healthcare system for mothers and babies.

Naomi Campbell - Naomi For Haiti design

Naomi Campbell says, “I am deeply saddened by the recent tragedy in Haiti. So many have been killed and severely affected by the earthquake – women and children in particular are most vulnerable in disasters. Fashion is universal, personal and touches everyone. I am delighted that Lotus Cars is supporting my Fashion for Relief TM charity and I am sure with such generous help we will raise crucial funds to help save the lives of women and children.”

Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus Plc, stated, “It is a very admirable cause and we are proud to be supporting Naomi Campbell with her Fashion For Relief TM event in aid of the women and children affected by the terrible disaster in Haiti. The whole of Lotus is supporting this very deserving charity, with many working in their own time in order to raise money for the women and children affected by the earthquake in Haiti.”

The Red Cross has said that the earthquake in Haiti has affected approximately 3 million people and it is reported that upwards of 200,000 people have died in the disaster. The magnitude of the earthquake combined with the local geography and house building techniques has exacerbated the destruction.

[press release from Lotus]