At the Golden Globe Awards earlier in the month, celebrities made a statement in support of the #MeToo movement by wearing black dresses, and wearing pins that said 'Time's Up'.
This understated move brought a highly-publicised level of awareness to the #MeToo movment and the newly-formed Time's Up group, which supports people - mainly women - who have come out about sexual assault and harassment within the entertainment industry.
Now, Condé Nast, eBay, and Time's Up have announced a partnership that will see the black dresses that celebrities wore on the Golden Globes red carpet auctioned off.
All proceeds from the auction will be donated to a Time's Up legal defense fund, which will financially support those who may not be able to afford legal fees from sharing their stories about alleged sexual abusers within the industry.
Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center (which looks after the Time’s Up legal defense fund) said in a statement, “We’re thrilled that actors and others in the entertainment industry are leading in this extraordinary way to end the scourge of workplace sexual harassment."
“Each time they’ve stepped up they’ve inspired more attorneys to join the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund and more individuals to contribute,” Graves added.
The event will also include a raffle for those who would like to donate and participate, but don't quite have a celebrity wage.
Dresses worn by Tracee Ellis, Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon and Gal Gadot will all be auctioned off for the Time's Up legal fund. Source: Getty Images / Steve Granitz, Axelle, Trae Patton.
A minimum donation of US$25 is required, and each donor will be entered into the raffle with a chance to win a donated dress from designers such as Stella McCartney, Diane von Furstenberg, and Rosie Assoulin.
Thirty nine red carpet gowns and tuxedos will be auctioned off. Designers, fashion houses and celebrities who have donated their dresses to the collaborative auction include:
Armani – Laura Dern
Balenciaga – Salma Hayek Pinault
Brandon Maxwell – Viola Davis
Brioni – Hugh Jackman
Calvin Klein – Sarah Paulson
Chanel Haute Couture – Caitriona Balfe
Chloe – Isabelle Huppert
Diane von Furstenberg – Madeline Brewer
Dior – Michelle Pfeiffer and Elisabeth Moss
Dolce & Gabbana – Sarah Jessica Parker
Givenchy – Nicole Kidman
Gucci – Dakota Johnson, Margot Robbie, Daniel Kaluuya
Louis Vuitton – Alicia Vikander, Michelle Williams, Emma Stone
Marc Jacobs – Tracee Ellis Ross
Ross Monse ― Maggie Gyllenhaal
Prabal Gurung – Issa Rae, Kerry Washington
Prada – Diane Kruger
Oscar de la Renta – Greta Gerwig
Ralph Lauren – Shailene Woodley
Ralph & Russo – Penelope Cruz
Ronald Van Den Kemp ― Emma Watson
Rosie Assoulin – Mandy Moore
Saint Laurent – Jude Law, Zoe Kravitz
Stella McCartney ― Claire Foy
Tom Ford – Gal Gadot and Neil Patrick Harris
Valentino – Seth Meyers, Kate Hudson, Lily James
Vera Wang – Meryl Streep
Versace – Saoirse Ronan
Zac Posen – Reese Witherspoon
The newly-formed Time's Up community group, which comprises more than 300 people within the film and entertainment industry, raised US$13 million (approx $16.3 million) solely from its celebrity members. The group then reported, on the morning of the Golden Globes, that with the addition of public donations they had received a total of US$15 million (approx A$18.8 million).
The auction will occur from January 19 to January 26, on eBay. You can bid on dresses, donate to the Time's Up legal defense fund, or watch the auction via ebay.com/timesup.
