Idris and Sabrina Elba are giving back in the name of high fashion. On Wednesday the couple and luxury shoe designer Christian Louboutin launched a collaboration that will benefit five grassroots charities benefiting the fight for racial justice
Dubbed “Walk A Mile In My Shoes,” the capsule collection donates 100% of its proceeds to five charities around the world. It was created in “direct response to the global
outcry for justice following the events of May 2020 in the United States,” the Louboutin website says.According to the website, trio leaned on inspiration from historic activists such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.
“We wanted to create a collection that would encourage empathy and action. To be clear, the message isn’t intended to be interpreted literally. Instead, take a moment to consider the experiences of those who are made to feel different, often due to circumstances beyond their control,” according to the Louboutin site.
Louboutin was inspired to partner with the Elbas after watching their Instagram Live session with Black Lives Matters co-founder and activist Opal Tometi in June 2020.
“Idris was very clear about the importance of making a contribution, whether through a donation or work toward lasting, structural change,” Louboutin told The Hollywood Reporter. “Watching such dear friends’ commitment to something so important moved me a lot. I agreed that of course we have to take action, but I wanted to offer more than a check; I wanted to provide practical solutions that ladder up to systemic change for communities.”
The 20-piece capsule collection includes flats, heels, sneakers, dress shoes, and handbags all designed by the trio, BET reports. Every dollar from every
sale goes to five charities they each share personal connections with. Organizations include [London-based] Immediate Theatre, where Idris is a patron, Somali Hope Foundation, which provides free schooling for children in a rural town that Sabrina’s mother is from, and Maryland-based Be Rose International Foundation that aids women and children in vulnerable communities.Dallas-based Purposeful Philanthropy Foundation is also on the list. The organization offers mentorship for girls. Harry Belafonte’s NY-based criminal justice reform organization The Gathering for Justice will also benefit from the collection’s profits.
“Gathering for Justice is very dear to me, as it aims to end child incarceration,” Louboutin said. “In the future we are planning to work with other organizations to try to help and highlight a larger scope of communities.”