Walk for Giants is a new campaign of the international conservation charity Space for Giants, made possible by Gemfields, a world-leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones, and supported by NET-A-PORTER, the world’s leading online luxury fashion retailer.

Models Arizona Muse and Selena Forrest are photographed by Francesco Carrozzini, in both color images and black and whites on location at the Enasoit Game Sanctuary in Laikipia, Kenya.

In our COVID pandemic world, contributions to Space for Giants has suffered a serious blow. There is mixed messaging out there, but Net-a-Porter says that *100% of the profits from the sale of this product will go to Space for Giants (charity number 1159227).” I’m reading “proceeds”, which means revenue on some fashion websites. That information is incorrect.

“What Walk for Giants so brilliantly amplifies is that conserving existing natural landscapes is not just critical for the future of humanity, but is also the best economic deal around,” said Max Graham, founder and CEO of Space for Giants, in a statement. “Nature-based businesses bring jobs, buy from local suppliers, pay taxes, and build national economies. But the natural assets these enterprises rely on—including Africa’s last populations of megafauna—are under grave risk. We must protect them now, so they can continue to deliver their value, forever.”

“We are honored to be partnering with Space for Giants on these exclusive capsule collections, with all profits benefitting the charity and the worthwhile cause of protecting Africa’s wildlife and landscape at this crucial time,” said Elizabeth von der Goltz, Net-a-Porter’s global buying director, in a release. Net-a-Porter has enlisted ready-to-wear labels—including Burberry, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Brunello Cucinelli, Chantecaille, and Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen—to create 38 sustainable pieces. Gemfields, for its part, has partnered with 12 jewelry brands for a 44-piece collection made of rubies and emeralds sourced from Mozambique and Zambia.

“Africa’s natural resources, whether in the form of her minerals or her biodiversity, must play a greater role in supporting local communities and championing vast conservation spaces,” said Sean Gilbertson, CEO of Gemfields. “We need everyone to walk the talk for these giant causes and we are honored to support the energetic team at Space for Giants in their intrepid cause.”

New York-based art and culture writer Ann Binlot interviews Dr. Max Graham for Document Journal.

Dr. Graham shares background info about the new project being born in December 2018, when he invited a group of philanthropists on a four-day walk with pack camels along the Ewaso Nyiro River, which is the lifeblood of wildlife and people in Northern Kenya and a seasonal migratory route for some 3,000 elephants.

“Among my guests were two fashion luminaries; Leila Yavari, an executive from the fashion industry and Elena Perminova, the Russian supermodel. On our long walks we discussed how we could combine the world of fashion and the world of conservation to achieve positive change. Walk for Giants and our partnership with Gemfields was the outcome of that brainstorm. We hope that this will be a catalyst for the fashion industry and the wider corporate world to transform units of consumption into units of conservation.”

As a result of the global pandemic, conservation efforts to save the elephants have suffered a gut punch. Dr. Graham explains:

“The wildlife conservation sector in Africa is dependent on tourism income, philanthropy, and government funding. With the COVID crisis, tourism income has disappeared and philanthropy and government funding are rapidly declining with the global economic downturn. This is impacting the delivery of essential frontline conservation services in African protected areas. At the same time, with the COVID crisis impacting local livelihoods, there is greater pressure to secure food and money through the illegal exploitation of nature from poaching. As a consequence we are facing a new and very serious conservation crisis. “