Gucci pledges US$500,000 to students’ gun-control march
The luxury label’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, says he is truly moved by the courage of the students in Parkland, Florida
Italian luxury fashion brand Gucci on Friday followed a slew of US celebrities in announcing a donation of US$500,000 to next month’s student march in Washington demanding tougher gun controls.
The donation, first reported by Women’s Wear Daily and confirmed by a Gucci spokeswoman in the United States, gives another huge boost to what is considered an unprecedented youth mobilisation against gun violence following last week’s shooting in Florida.
“We stand with March For Our Lives and the fearless students across the country who demand that their lives and safety become a priority,” the label said.
“We have all been directly or indirectly impacted by these senseless tragedies.”
The rally is scheduled to take place on March 24, with sister rallies planned across the country to demand that US Congress comes up with effective legislation to address the epidemic of gun violence in the US.
The Washington Post says organisers expect up to 500,000 people to attend, according to their event permit application.
The rally is being organised by students from the Florida high school where a 19-year-old armed with a semi-automatic rifle killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida.
George Clooney and his human rights lawyer wife Amal, Oprah Winfrey, director Steven Spielberg and his actress wife Kate Capshaw, and film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn each also pledged US$500,000.