CHARITY
MISSION OF
BULGARIAN FASHION

It can be said that the increasing humanity and charity of the Bulgarian fashion are unquestionably among its most positive symptoms it has demonstrated through the past year. Most often our designers donate orphanages, children deprived of parental care, poor children and youths of unequal social position. This happens on the occasion of Christmas and Graduation days, the First of June - the day of the Child, etc. "Fashion" charity is characterised by the fact that it donates mostly in kind - clothes, shoes, scarves, gloves, etc., at the expense of the paid grants or financial praises awarded to young distinguished designers from the National Academy of Art, Krastyu Sarafov National Academy of Theatre and Film Art, New Bulgarian University, Julius Pascin Free Academy and other schools of fashion and design in Bulgaria. Due to organisational problems (not on behalf of Bulgarian Fashion Forum), the Silver Thread pageant that was executed in the first evening of Bulgarian Fashion Forum in April 2003; single and sporadic are the cases when individual donators or foundations provide finances for education and subsidising young designer talents. Iiroglio Group for example, makes praiseworthy efforts and donates incessantly students in modern design with fabrics. For years the same practice has been exercised by Stenley company, importer and manufacturer of classic and vanguard fabrics.

Anyway, let's see who were the major donators and patrons for the last twelve months? And what their noble gestures were? Traditionally Bulgarian Fashion Forum with its honorary chairperson Ivan Chalakov is among the biggest donators. From November last year until October this year the Forum has initiated or carried out the following more serious donations: Royal Foods Holding has donated the establishments for children deprived of parental care Nikola Vaptsarov in the village of Slatino, Kyustendil region, Penyo and Maria Velkovi in Veliko Tarnovo, Asen Zlatarov in the town of Yakoruda, Blagoevgrad region, and in the town of Rila, Kyustendil region. Candy company has delivered soups and juice to the establishments Radost in the village of Dren and the Daily Centre for Children with Physical Disabilities in Blagoevgrad for free. Oriflame and Microsoft Bulgaria have donated computers to the children's care establishment in the town of Panagyurishte. Funds have been provided by the companies Maxi (two thousand levs for the children's care establishment in Velingrad, Bratsigovo, Lesichovo, Pazhardzhik, etc.) and Select Distillery (two thousand five hundred levs for the children's care establishment in the city of Sofia, Rouse, Veliko Tarnovo, Vratsa, Montana, Varna, etc.). Food and drinks are donated to the children's care establishments in the village of Kosharitsa, Bourgas region, and the town of Dolna Banya, Sofia region, by the companies Pobeda and Link, respectively.

The trade centre TZUM, donated in December 2002 in favour of the orphanage and the establishment for elderly people through St Nikola foundation. Within the period May - October 2003 after an invitation of the International women's club, TZUM started working on a beneficiary calendar, part of the fight against breast cancer, which campaign took place in October this year. The fact that in September 2003 the Central Department Store, TZUM, whose executive director is Mrs Tanya Gyurova, provided an office space for the Sofia Branch of the National Union of the Women with Oncological Diseases and their supporters, should not be neglected.

In October 2003 TZUM dedicated its autumn - winter fashion show to the fight against breast cancer, presenting a charity calendar with the photos of twelve women who had won a victory over cancer. In the same month the trade centre together with Generous Heart Foundation executed a campaign for raising funds in favour of the sick from multiple sclerosis.

Moden salon (Fashion Showroom) of Kaloyan and Hristo Karadochevi jointly with Miss Bulgaria 2001, Ivaila Bakalova, organised under the honourable patronage of Kamelia Kassabova, Deputy Chairwoman of the Parliament, a charity campaign on May 17, 2003 in St. Sofia Hall of the Bulgarian Parliament. The aim was to support the children deprived of parental care who were finishing school. A lot of designers and fashion houses had their share in this event - Veneta Atanassova, Veneta Vasileva, Vogue Vision, Dessi Moskova, Dzhina Nik, Diana and Ani Naidenovi, Elena Moskvichova, Zhana Zhekova, Irida, Lucil, Maria Nedkova, Natali Genova, Neli Pramatarova, Nina Todorova, Totka Docheva, Fani Papadopulu, Yulia Prodanova, Karizma duet, etc.

Visage Model Group and Children of Bulgaria foundation with a president Evgenia Kalkandzhieva organised a day in Sofia Land for the children from the establishment in Kalotina - they attended a performance by Marieta and Marioneta. All the pageants, organised by Visage Model Group are related to charity initiatives. Within the one-year period donations were made by the Miss Bulgaria 2003 pageant for the children's care establishment in Kalotina and the pageant Visage Models 2003 benefited the establishment for children in unequal social status and orphans Hristo Botev in Gorna Banya district, Sofia. The Children of Bulgaria Foundation organised in complex Albena in November 2002, together with the Ministry of Sports a football competition, in which children from eight establishments of different towns took part.

The Agency for models Exground with president Mrs Rozalia Tinkova is a follower of an interesting principle of charity: one lev is withheld from the participation fees of each one model and at the end of each- six month period the amount raised is granted to various beneficial programs. The usual practice is that each big pageant is accompanied of a special humanitarian and social program. In connection with the pageant Supermodel of Bulgaria 2003 in September 2003 presents were given out to the children from the children's care establishment in district Dragalevtsi, Sofia The participants in the pageant adopted the Himalayan bear Dino and Rozalia Tinkova herself adopted the panther Kostanza from the zoo.

In December 2002 Ivet Fashion agency for models delivered all the awards the girls received in the TV show Family Wars to the orphanage in the town in Pernik. After its regional pageant on the 1 of June 2003, the Agency delivered presents to the same establishment in Pernik.

Some single charity campaigns were of a very photo models Bilyana Tsvetkova (Queen of Beauty in 1999) and Boyana Dimitrova (Queen of Beauty in 2000) was also very successful. Jointly with the Bulgarian Red Cross they organised a charity ball in Sky Plaza restaurant of the National Palace of Culture on April 22, 2003. The aim was to raise funds in assistance to three children of unequal social status (andycapped children). Bilyana and Boyana managed to raise thirteen thousand levs and delivered the money to the mothers of the children. The same models organised in Sofia Land an event on the first of June 2003 for the children of perished policemen and for those from the children's care establishment Asen Zlatarov (district Nadezhda). The event was under the patronage of the generals Boiko Borisov and Vasil Vasilev. Bilyana Tsvetkova and Boyana Dimitrova managed to attract additional donators like the Bulgarian Loto, so each child was given a book - Encyclopedia for Children and Ruen company gifted all of them with T-shirts.

Following the tradition, the first numbered and signed by the authors copies of the Almanac of Bulgarian Fashion 2002 - 2003 were sold out for charity purposes at the time of its premiere. The raised amount of over 1,900 Bulgarian levs established a scholarship for a student in Fashion Design and the first to have it was Stanislav Petrov from the Koefia Haute Couture Academy in Rome academy for High Fashion. Some of the funds were given to the children from the children's care establishment St Ivan Rilski in Sofia. Ilona Shalamanova had her fashion for children show at a Christmas party. Confectionery Gavrosh took care of the party cake and the big number of delicacies, toys and medications were provided by the buyers of the almanac (among these were Asparuh Karastoyanov, Minyuo Staikov, Peter Yankulov, Nokia Bulgaria, Skin Line, Lilia Nikolova, Modus Art, Nova Idea OOI Vek, PMP Bulgaria and many others). With the assistance of the Ot Igla do Konetz (From the Beginning to the End) TV show all children from St. Ivan Rilski establishment were given the opportunity to play in Sofia Land for free. In previous years this same TV show Ot Igla do Konetz (From the Beginning to the End) with the funds from the charity sale of the books World Fashion and Almanac of Bulgarian Fashion bought a TV set, a refrigerator, as well as a lot of food, clothes, toys for the children at St Ivan Rilski establishment.

On 12 December 2002 in St. Sofia hall, the students of Sofia National High School, with Tanya Tosseva as lecturer and with the assistance of various organisations and individuals organised a charity fashion show of their own works - clothes and accessories designed by themselves. It was under the patronage of Kamelia Kassabova, deputy chairwoman of the Parliament and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria. The number of the young fashion designers was 70 and they showed 170 different designs before 1300 guests. The funds raised from the sale of the entrance tickets and of some of the show clothes were granted to Pencho Slaveykov orphange establishment in Sofia.