John Varvatos is known for collaborating with musicians for each of his collections—last season saw Kiss posing on the runway, while previous muses have included Jimmy Page, ZZ Top and the Dave Matthews Band. But the Fall 2015 campaign is about to feature rock-n-roll royalty with an appearance by Ringo Starr. Announced yesterday afternoon on his 74th birthday, the Beatle will front the new fall campaign for John Varvatos in conjunction with his charity Ringo Starr Peace & Love Fund.{start-jlvideo}1748,640,361,thumb{end-jlvideo}
Originally unsure Starr would agree to the gig, Varvatos only reached out after he saw the musician playing at the Grammys in his designs. “‘But it’s a Beatle,’ I said, ‘There’s no way he’s going to do anything like this.’ We made a call to his publicist anyway, and he immediately said yes,” Varvatos told WWD. “It actually happened quicker than most of the other artists we’ve spoken to.” And part of the reason Starr may have agreed so quickly was Varvatos’ willingness to join Starr in his fund-raising campaign. The company will be donating a percentage of the profits to the charity, creating a shirt in which 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated, and giving $1 to the cause for every social media #PeaceRocks upload. “It’s all going to charity, whatever I make,” Starr told WWD. “I urge everyone to join us and use #PeaceRocks. For every upload, John will donate a dollar to the Ringo Starr Peace & Love Fund that through the David Lynch Foundation teaches meditation to people at risk and suffering.”
And while all this humanitarian philanthropy might make anyone want to sing an (off-key) rendition of All You Need is Love, it’s actually surprising that such a high-profile rock star is so giving and down-to-earth. Varvatos confessed the compensation they are able to offer musicians is not very much; but unphased by the numbers, Starr’s only concern was if the campaign would “raise awareness for global peace.” Campaign images feature the drummer holding up his famous peace sign, a symbol that has become synonymous with the campaign.
