Karlie Kloss has teamed up with Jason Wu to raise money and awareness for AIDS and Temperley London will have a flagship in Mayfair come November.
The model and the designer are close friends and will head up a team called Step Forward to complete a 6.2-mile sponsored AIDS Walk around New York.
They are currently taking sponsorships to reach their target of US$50 000.
Kloss told vogue.co.uk, ”The idea came about at the Met Ball with a mutual friend of ours.
”We were in a sea of glamour and we looked at each other and said, ‘what do we do next?’
”The AIDS Walk became a perfect opportunity to change our ballgown and black tie for sneakers and work-out clothes.
”Juicy Couture is even donating a bucket of money for me to wear their clothes for the event which is amazing – it’s fantastic to see my friends in the fashion community getting behind us, come on guys!”
Karlie, 19, wore a custom-made pink gown by Jason to the Met ball earlier this month.
She joked she had been training for the walk by getting plenty of practice on catwalks.
She said, ”I have been training for this walk on many catwalks around the world.
”I wanted a day to spend with my friends in New York that was healthy and positive and what a better way to do that than in Central Park and raising awareness for a cause that I am passionate about. It’s about raising awareness and making a difference.”
The former ballerina also said she was inspired to do the walk after a moving story she had heard about Pediatric AIDS.
She added, ”I sat at the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards one year and was inspired by a woman called Elizabeth Glaser and her son Jake and their story.
”It was through this I became involved in awareness for Pediatric AIDS. My father is a doctor so I understand the fight as well.”
If you happen to be in London come November you will be able to visit Alice Temperley in her new home – her label’s flagship store in Mayfair.
The designer feels the timing of the opening is spot on for the brand.
She said, ”It just felt like the right time to enter a new phase of expansion. It’s an important time to be in Britain and after 10 years we felt that we really needed a flagship. The recession slowed us down a little, but we’re much more solid now about our plans and the future. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and it was important to me to be more central and to be able to show the world what we’ve been up do. It’s nice not to feel hidden.”
Alice says she’s working hard to perfect the interior of the new store.
She added to vogue.co.uk, ”I’m working with friend to create lots of hand-paintings. We’ll be redesigning the rails but a lot of it will be designed from scratch. It’ll have a French salon feel with a decorative twist. There will be an opening party nearer the time and a private dressing area too. I’m really so excited.”
