- March 30, 2021
JohnyDar’s Jeans For Refugees initiative returns with ‘Together Is Better’ – a virtual music festival streaming worldwide on April 17th
Together Is Better (togetherisbetterfestival.com) presents a sizzling line up of musical artists on three virtual stages, in a new venture for Johny Dar’s star- studded humanitarian initiative, which has already captivated Hollywood and the world at large.
When it initially launched in 2016, uniting an unprecedented number of celebrities for a single cause, Jeans For Refugees (jeansforrefugees.com) was showcased live in 5 countries within 18 months, garnering more than 15 billion online impressions. It involved more than 130 celebrities to date, who have all donated their jeans to be hand-painted by Dar and sold to raisefundsforrefugees.GigiHadid,OrlandoBloom,HarryStyles,JessieJ, Scarlett Johannson, Elton John, Ryan Gosling, Salma Hayek, Kate Moss, Cameron Diaz, Naomi Campbell, Victoria Beckham and Emma Watson are among the international roster of participants who have donated their denims for thecause.
Prevented by lockdown from holding a planned Jeans For Refugees auction gala in 2020, Dar devised Together Is Better’ as an offering to lift the spirits of his global audience, and raise awareness about the cause, as well as the importance of the arts as a modalities for healing and social activism.
True to their name, the ‘Together Is Better’ team are collaborating with refugee organisationsChoose Love, The Worldwide Tribe, and Care 4 Calais, to bring a range of initiatives and storytelling into the spotlight, in a studio stream produced by Fade Films and featuring special guests, interviews, giveaways and more, hosted by the One Aldwychhotel in London.
Alongside the diverse line up of DJs and musicians, the festival offers a BrandLabdesignedvirtualshowroomexperienceandonlineshop,where 60 pairs of celebrity-donated hand-painted Jeans For Refugees will be available for purchase. For all fans and art collectors keen to claim a pair of up-cycled wearable artworks from their favouritecelebrity, Together Is Better presents a unique and exclusiveopportunity.
About Jeans for Refugees
Jeans for Refugees’ is a Johny Dar project and fundraising initiative dedicated to helping refugees around the world, with all proceeds going to the International Rescue Committee. 100 celebrities have donated their jeans in solidarity with the refugee situation, to be painted by Johny Dar and auctioned to raise funds for refugees worldwide. The 100 ‘Jeans for Refugees’ are a collection of artistic expressions affirming that each human being has a unique and equal value, and a right to live in stability, safety and peace. To paint the ‘Jeans for Refugees’, Johny Dar applies a range of colours through original artistic techniques to express the unique personality of each celebrity, on the jeans that they havedonated.
About Johny Dar
JohnyDarisanartistpioneeringanoriginalformofartisticexpressionthroughpainting, illustration,fashion,design,bodyart,multimedia,andmusic.Passionateaboutbreaking boundaries,realisingdreams,makingtheimpossiblepossible,andcollaboratingfora cause – JohnyDar’s work invites audiences to experience a new rennaissance of expression andexperience.
About Choose Love
Choose Love does whatever it takes to identify, close and prevent gaps in services and protections for refugees and displaced people. They elevate the voices and visibility of refugees and are the only founder of agile community organisations providing vital support to refugees along migration routes globally. In just five years, Choose Love have raised $45M to provide 1 million refugees with everything from lifesaving search and rescue boats to food to legal advice. They are powered by people who come together with a vision of a world that chooses love and justice every day, for everyone.
About The Worldwide Tribe
The Worldwide Tribe’s mission is to highlight the humanity behind world issues, inspire global community and leave a legacy of positive, social change. WWT use creative storytelling via social media to bring a personal, human perspective to world issues, while investing in grassroots projects that make a direct difference to the lives of those in need. They do this through films, talks in schools and universities, and most recently through out podcast – with each episode sharing a unique story of an individual affected by migration.
JohnyDarhimself-responsibleforhand-paintingmorethan130original designs on the celebrity-donated denims – continues to juggle countless projectsinfineart,fashion,music,publishingandfilmalongsidethisand othercharityinitiatives.Despitehismanycommitmentsandthechallenges posedbyCovid,fiveyearsintotheJeansForRefugeesjourneyDarhasno intention of slowingdown.
‘Now, more than ever, we need the power of art to relieve collective emotionalpainandupliftthehumanspirit.Weareallconnected,nomatter where or who we are. Jeans For Refugees is about refugees, but it’s also about empowering humanity as a whole – our goal is to co-create a new paradigmthroughcollaboration,innovationandartisticexpression.Ihope thiscelebrationoftogethernessandcreativityinspirespeopletobelieveina brighterfuture,andalsotorememberthattheycanparticipateinbringingit to life,’ heremarks.
Together Is Better begins at 7pm BST on April 17th, and tickets are available now at togetherisbetterfestival.com. Starting from just £5 for access all areas tickets, the festival site offers a tiered system that allows users to choose their donation.
Music lovers can expect sets from Zap Mama, AylaSchafer, Michele Adamson, Carla Chamoun, Sonic Species, Dardelica, Ben Temple Step, TongueandGroove,TheEgg,BlickBassy,Curawaka,PaoloTossio,Carrie Tree, GraziellaSchazad, Morrillo, and Axel Thesleff.- a diverse line up showcasing an eclectic mix of musical genres – including acoustic, folk, african, world music, techno, psy-techno, electronic, psychedelic trance, arabic pop, downbeat and medicinemusic.
WWT began their work in 2015 in the Calais Jungle, and have gone on to work in camps in Greece, Turkey,Jordan, Lebanon, Bangladesh and more. Their belief that the world is getting smaller, led them to want to connect people all over the globe in one community of international citizens; The WorldwideTribe.
About the One Aldwych
One Aldwych, London’s cultured, independent hotel, is set in Covent Garden among smart boutiques, vibrant restaurants, and thrilling theatres. The newly refurbished interiors are richly layered, sophisticated and modern, creating an inspiring atmosphere. The bedrooms and suites reflect the style of an elegant residence and the best of British design, with every detail carefully considered and finished to the highestquality.
The hotel is renowned for its iconic Lobby Bar and two stylish restaurants offering exquisite dining and drinks. The Health Club offers state-of-the-art equipment in the 24- hour gym, a stunning 60-foot chlorine-free swimming pool, a sauna, and a steam room, as well as three treatment rooms. And the classic British pastime of afternoon tea has been turned on its head at One Aldwych, where you can indulge your inner child and adventure into the magical, mouth-watering world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with an enchanting afternoon tea – inspired by Roald Dahl’s iconicstory.
About Brand Lab
BrandLab 360 is an innovative digital software solution designed to streamline the wholesale and buying industry, offering bespoke virtual reality showrooms, tradeshows and an immersive digital platform to host live appointments. Using ground-breaking CGI and 3D rendering techniques, Brand Lab replicate physical showrooms in the virtual realm, and build a brand-new bespoke brand experiences.
About Fade Films
FadeFilmsisaVideoProductioncompanythataimstocreatecontentwithstorytellingat the heart of every project. They like to fade into the dark so the story they are telling shines in thelight.