Photo: Clement Laguardia. Courtesy of Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani has announced its support for one model’s voyage of a lifetime, which is motivated by friendship, philanthropy, and love for sailing. Benjamin D—who is a familiar face in the Italian fashion house’s campaigns, and was crucial in the launch of its Vela and eyewear collections—is currently raising funds for Retinitis Pigmentosa, a serious eye condition from which he suffers. The model will be fulfilling his dream of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean (from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean) this winter while raising awareness of the degenerative vision disease before he loses his eyesight.
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After discovering at the age of 28 that he was afflicted by the condition, Benjamin decided to create Horizon, a non-profit organization dedicated to fundraising projects to help medical research for retinitis pigmentosa. “Three years ago, when doctors told me the diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa, it felt like all lights were shut down,” he says in the announcement video of the project. “I would say its the biggest and most exciting adventure of my life. But I am convinced that in the immensity of the ocean and behind each horizon that we will cross, there is a hope to enlight them again.”
Photo: Clement Laguardia. Courtesy of Giorgio Armani
Joining Benjamin on this adventure are four friends—photographers, directors, and cinematographers—who will help capture moments from this journey. The fashion house will document all moments, starting from the preparation for the trip to the crossing of the ocean itself, which will be released on Giorgio Armani’s social media in a series of chapters, “both to maintain enthusiasm for this exciting voyage and to help raise funds.”
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