A Hermes Birkin bag donated by its namesake Jane Birkin raised more money than any other item sold though EMI’s recent celebrity auction. The designer handbag raised $163, 000 of the auction’s $470, 000 total takings.
EMI matched the money raised, eventually donating $940, 000 to the Red Cross. These funds will assist the charity in its relief efforts following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
I’m sure we all wish we owned that Birkin bag, but there were plenty of other covetable items on offer. These included a 1987 model Ferrari owned by the electronic band Daft Punk, and diamante costume head used by DJ and producer Deadmau5, a day on tour with Simple Minds, and the cupcake trampoline used during Katy Perry’s California Dreams tour.
Roger Faxon, the chief executive officer of the EMI Group, says the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised was a “wonderful result.” He also praised the generosity of more than 200 contributing EMI artists and friends, including Arcade Fire, Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, and Lady Antebellum.
“It has been a privilege for all of us at EMI to have participated in this effort to raise money to help the people of Japan who have suffered so much,” he said.
[Image Source: Nicolas Genin/Wikipedia Commons]
