10.12.2006

Oprah and Bono see Red

Oprah hit the shops with Bono on Thursday to promote a new line of clothing, accessories and iPods that will raise money to help fight AIDS in Africa. "Red" merchandise will go on sale in the next few weeks at retailers including the Gap, Motorola, Converse, Emporio Armani and Apple, and a portion of product sales will go to The Global Fund. "Some people won't put on marching boots, so we've got to get to people where they are at, and they're in the shopping malls," Bono has said of the campaign. "Now you're buying jeans and T-shirts, and you're paying for ten women in Africa to get medication for their children with HIV." So far, the "Red" initiative has raised over $12 million in Britain. "We've moved from the philanthropy budgets to the marketing budgets, and guess what, there's no comparison in size," Bono says. "We now have some of the most creative people in commerce - Steve Jobs, the marketing people at Gap and Motorola - all working for the world's poor. That is so so cool." Oprah will announce the launch of the campaign on her show Friday.

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