Bono And Ali Hewson Are Latest Vuitton Ad Stars

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Aug 30th 2010 at 7:01PM

The latest in the beautiful Louis Vuitton ad campaign shot by Annie Leibovitz features U2 frontman Bono (aka Paul Hewson) and his wife, Ali Hewson. WWD says that this is the first time that Bono has appeared in an ad without his U2 bandmates. It's also the first time that a label other than Vuitton is getting a fashion credit, the pair are wearing their own clothing line, Edun, a line of ethical fashion. Vuitton parent company LVMH owns a 49 percent stake in the company. In the ad, Ali Hewson carries a new handbag that was a join project between Edun and Vuitton and has a special charm that is the French firm's first made-in-Africa product. Proceeds from the bag will go to TechnoServe, a nongovernmental organization that fosters enterprise in the developing world; Conservation Cotton Initiative, which supports sustainable farming in Africa.

The ad shows the pair leaving a plane with a South African landscape as a backdrop and carries the tagline "Every journey began in Africa." They donated their fees to TechnoServe, Conservation Cotton Initiative and Chernobyl Children's Project International.

During Paris Fashion Week, Vuitton and Edun will showcase Africa Rising, a temporary exhibition of contemporary African art to be shown with Edun's spring collection. The Africa Rising exhibition will run October 5 until October 17.

Previous ads have featured Mikhail Gorbachev, Keith Richards, John Glenn, Sally Ride, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Pele and Catherine Denueve among others.

Tags: ali hewson, annie leibovitz, bono, Louis Vuitton