Roz reviews the (EMPORIO ARMANI)RED One Night Only event

(RED) hot fashion was on show at last Wednesday as Giorgio Armani unveiled his Spring/Summer 2007 collection at London’s Earl’s Court.

I was thrilled to be one of 1,300 guests for the One Night Only event, an INSPI(RED) evening of fashion and music – and the first time ever that Armani has showcased at London Fashion Week.

I arrived to see the red carpet rolled out and a dazzling display of personalities arriving and outfits on display – and the show had not even started!

We took our seats and were treated to three stunning Armani collections on an incredible 200-foot long catwalk with over 80 models! The very desirable Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashley Judd, Oliver Martinez and Elle Macpherson introduced the collections and we enjoyed close up performances between the shows from Beyoncé, Razorlight, Bryan Ferry and Andrea Bocelli. They were all brilliant, personally, I’d always wanted to see Beyoncé in action and wow, she was amazing! Can’t wait to see her again when the show is repeated tomorrow night on Channel 4.

Bono and Bobby introduced the (RED) Capsule Collection and powerfully reminded us that we’re facing the biggest health emergency in 600 years and that (RED) gives us the power to choose to make a difference and a licence to shop till it stops.

--Roz

BECOME (RED) on the Hotel Cafe Tour!

Quick, name three of my favorite things!

(RED) … The Hotel Café … MySpace …

Now throw everyone on a bus, give them some guitars, and you have this:

MySpace and (RED) present The Hotel Café Tour 2006!!

I can't begin to express how thrilled I am that the Hotel Café Tour is back for a sophomore run, and that I'm once again going to be in the front row for the action.

The Hotel Café's been my second home since I discovered it in 2002, back when it was a tiny coffee shop turned music venue, where it was known for nurturing local singer-songwriters. Over the years, the Hotel Café has become known as the place to find talent before it breaks mainstream.

But even though the Hotel Café continues to grow, there is something very special about its vibe. It is a true homegrown community of musicians, fans, and friends.

Last year, the owners of the Hotel Café, Max and Marko, decided to take this cozy vibe on the road. My then-employer, MySpace, took on the tour as the presenting sponsor, and together we worked to bring the music to even more fans.

This year, I'm so happy (RED) is hopping on the bus, too! We want to be on the tour because we want to meet people like you, and we want to show you how you can BECOME (RED).

We hope you'll love this lineup as much as we do:

Cary Brothers
Joshua Radin
The Weepies
Rachael Yamagata
Matt Costa
Brett Dennen
Kate Havnevik
Joe Purdy
Charlotte Martin
Jim Bianco
Kevin Devine
Jonah Matranga
Tristan Prettyman
Miho Hatori from Cibo Matto
Tom McRae
Schuyler Fisk
Sara Bareilles
Jessie Baylin
Sanders Bohlke
Buddy
Tim Jones
Anya Marina
Meiko
White Buffalo
Brian Wright
Peter Searcy
Priscilla Ahn

Plus surprise guests!

You can find the tour dates on the Hotel Café Tour's page – take a listen to the songs, too. We'll see you soon!

bn

The Independent (RED) edition out now!

The Independent (RED) edition is on newsstands now! Grab a copy before the day's over, or if you're not in the UK to get one, read it online at http://www.independent.co.uk.

If you want to check out scans from the paper, take a look at our Flickr page!

THE INDEPENDENT GOES (RED) WITH GIORGIO ARMANI

On Thursday 21st September, The Independent is to go (RED) for the second time, with a special edition of the paper guest-designed by Giorgio Armani.

This groundbreaking project is the latest stage in The Independent's partnership with (PRODUCT) RED. It follows the huge success of the previous (RED) edition last May, when Bono spent a day in the editor's chair at The Independent's offices in London. Half of all revenues from that day's paper - which sold an additional 70,000 copies - were contributed to the (RED) campaign. The Independent will also be contributing to (RED) from revenues generated by the Armani edition.

Bono's widely acclaimed (RED) issue of the paper featured special contributions from Damien Hirst, Nelson Mandela, Stella McCartney, Sam Taylor-Wood, Condoleezza Rice and others.

Similarly, the Armani-designed (RED) edition of The Independent will include articles from a host of public figures and celebrities. Those whose involvement has been confirmed include: George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Gates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Andriy Shevchenko, Ashley Judd and Beyoncé Knowles.

In addition, The Independent's daily features section, Extra, will become a 36-page magazine for the day - and as a special bonus, every copy of the newspaper will include a commemorative poster, personally designed by Giorgio Armani.

Roz's review of (MOTO) RED Square

Photography © 2006 www.jameslooker.co.uk

One of our colleagues Roz sent us a review of her experience in London at (MOTO) RED Square with the Scissor Sisters:

On Saturday night, I joined 15,000 (RED) revelers in Trafalgar Square for a sensational performance from the Scissor Sisters as they teamed up with Motorola to promote their new album and show their support for (RED).

It was quite surreal to see the rapid transformation of one of London’s most iconic landmarks as the Square literally changed colour to go (RED), with red fountains, lighting, backdrops, not to mention thousands of people flaunting their redwears and (RED) Gap T-shirts.

To our delight, Kylie introduced the band! She looked fabulous and was clearly over-the-moon to be back on stage. Then we were treated to a dazzling pop performance by the Scissor Sisters, they rocked the crowd with some of their old favourites, plus we enjoyed songs from the new album Ta-dah, including "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" which has gone straight to No. 1!

By the end of the concert, the square was exploding with energy, everyone was dancing, fans even climbed up into the main fountain to strut their stuff! The vibe was contagious as was the (RED) message: What we choose to buy will change history, upgrade to (RED).

We left Trafalgar Square exhilarated and inspired with the beginning of the new (RED)era…

Roz

P.S. Here are some more photos from (MOTO) RED Square!

Bobby's blog

One of the most amazing days in (RED)'s short history happened this week when Brett Ratner, director of Rush Hour, X-Men 3 and Family Man, brought together a group of his friends to shoot short quips/improvs for our website and the Motorola (RED) phone. We set this up next door to Annie Leibovitz’s set at Smashbox Studios, where she was shooting images for the Gap's fall (RED) campaign.

Chris Rock, Charlie Sheen, Chris Kattan, my sister Maria Shriver, Courtney Love, Salma Hayek, Chris Tucker, Steve Coogan and Quincy Jones each read the (RED) manifesto to the camera. Brett will "cut" these into a series of readings. Each person then read a short paragraph of their own. And of course, Chris Rock and Chris Tucker "ad-libbed" a bunch of amazing stuff.

Brett also organized a (RED) cheerleading squad who chanted "GO RED" at various times!!

All this material will be edited into various versions, some for our website, a lot for the Motorola phones and perhaps some for other video outlets on the web. All I can say today is that you're gonna die laughing when you see this stuff. It's really fun and incredibly exciting that all these performers came in the spirit of making (RED) a great brand.

That's our objective, for people to feel that (RED) is fun, spirited and engaged in the adventure of trying to buy enough medicine for everyone in Africa who has AIDS. To most people, this is a ridiculous and undoable goal, but from all of these performers, to the crew who donated their time, to the studio who donated the space, to the camera company who donated the camera, we have a lot of people who believe we can pull it off.

Stay tuned for images of this amazing day.

-Bobby

(RED) Money At Work In Africa

"Back so soon?" you ask.

Well yes, as promised, I am here with a note from Bobby. Bobby is currently writing down his stories from the video shoot referenced in yesterday's blog. In the meantime, in case you don't get our newsletter, I wanted to share this bit of news Bobby sent out today:

Many thanks to you for purchasing (RED) products: In May, $1.2 million of the first (RED) money received by the Global Fund flowed to Rwanda. This has gone towards the Rwandan Ministry of Health's comprehensive HIV/AIDS programs, mainly to provide anti-retroviral pills for children and adults in a third of the country.

This week, $4 million of (RED) money flowed to Swaziland. Derek von Wissell, director of National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS, described where the money will go: "First, a large portion of the money will be directed to orphans - feeding them, keeping them in school, protecting them and offering them a future. Second, some of the money will help support the treatment of people on anti-retroviral therapy. (RED) is saving lives. (RED) is helping orphans survive and giving them a better future. (RED) will make a difference."
Hooray for Mr. von Wissell and his team! (RED) deeply appreciates their lifesaving work.

Thanks,

Bobby

Also, Colin just got back from New York and I'm happy to say that the first thing he did when he walked in the office was hand me pictures from the Gap event he attended Tuesday night. Please see previous blog post "OH NO!" for more details on this evening. The pictures posted here are of the choir from Lesotho, Africa who performed at the exhibit/event.

Talk to you soon,

Colette