Italian fashion comes to aid of Japanese tsunami victims

(17 July, 2013) Italian Fashion has come to the aid of Japanese tsunami victims. A luxury handbag that unites Italian and Japanese tradition has become a vehicle to help the victims of the great earthquake of 11 March 2011, which caused a devastating tsunami along the Japanese coast. The Italian fashion house Gucci has signed a deal with the traditional silk factory Sendaihira to produce a limited number of bags that will be auctioned: The proceeds will go to the reconstruction of the area. About 3 thousand people died immediately after the 2011 tragedy, but the death toll continues to rise for the damage to nuclear power plants in Fukushima, which caused a leak of deadly radiation. The Japanese Church and Caritas are engaged in ongoing rehabilitation programs in the area, but there are still thousands of people in serious difficulty. The first batch of 10 bags, was sold on July 12 in Sendai itself. E ach piece was purchased for about 4 thousand euro. The rest of the production - in limited edition - will go on sale in September in Tokyo and Osaka. The operators hope to achieve "at least" 100 thousand Euros to donate to the survivors.
Sendaihira - born around the mid-1600s - has provided a "tan" (about 11 meters) of fine silk that is worth several thousand euro. In addition, the head tailor Yoshio Koda (pictured, 84, he is considered a "living national treasure" by the Japanese government) has decided to work with the artisans of Gucci to sow the fabrics.