There have been a few initiatives of the headline-making ilk, including a Madonna-hosted Gucci bash during New York Fashion Week this past February that attracted stars such as Demi Moore and Tom Cruise and raised $5.5 million to be split between UNICEF and Madonna’s Malawi charity. Gucci has also tapped Rihanna for an ad campaign this winter promoting special-edition products for UNICEF. “It makes all the difference,” the singer insists. “When [customers] see that they’re taking a chunk of their profits and giving it to UNICEF and the kids, it’s really deep. I give them so much more respect.”
Pinault’s next big green initiative will be one that’s hard to miss—and he hopes no one will: He’s underwriting a film called Home, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, who is famous for his “Earth From Above” portraits taken from helicopters and balloons, and produced by Luc Besson. “I decided in 10 minutes to do it,” says Pinault of the project, which is designed to raise awareness through breathtaking images illustrating the major social and eco challenges facing the planet. The film, scheduled to be released worldwide on June 5, 2009, World Environment Day, cost PPR 10 million euros, or about $13 million. (It will be distributed free of charge on the Internet and television and in movie theaters, which are expected to charge reduced admission.) “As the budget for a film without actors, it’s absolutely colossal,” Pinault says. “The objective is to scale the planet and reach hundreds of millions of people. It’s a subject that really touches me.”
“I think François is sincere in that,” says Besson, who faces the task of choosing from 155 miles of film shot in more than 50 countries. “There’s this moment in your head when you say, ‘This is serious. We can’t ignore it.’ Have you noticed how many children today are bothering their parents? They get it, and we have to do it for them.” And while Besson, tugging at the hem of his oversize black T-shirt, is hardly a fashion plate himself, he says he’s heartened that Pinault, whom he has known for 15 years, is putting a high-profile industry behind the sustainability movement. “I hope the consumers in fashion will help,” he says. “They can help just by choosing the ones that make an effort.”
