Inaugural Franca Fund Gala celebrates fashion and philanthropy in Doha

The inaugural Franca Fund Gala brought together the worlds of fashion and philanthropy in Doha on November 23 to honour the life and work of the late Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani and fuel support for preventive genomics.

 
Qatar ‘s centre for design and fashion innovation M7 joined forces with the Franca Sozzani Fund for Preventive Genomics to welcome global names in fashion and culture to the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, Click Me Production announced in a release. Co-hosts comprised Qatar Museum’s chairperson and Fashion Trust Arabia’s co-chair Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Franca Fund founder and Sozzani ‘s son Francesco Carrozzini, and global editorial director at Vogue and chief content officer for Condé Nast Anna Wintour.

The Franca Fund Gala celebrated Sozzani’s impact on fashion and championed her fight against a rare lung cancer, which inspired Carrozzini to establish The Franca Fund for Preventive Genomics in 2018. The fund focuses on the identification, treatment, and prevention of a broad range of illnesses through transformative genomic science.

Following its launch at Harvard Medical School and Mass General Brigham, the Franca Fund has raised support through initiatives including exhibitions and sales of pieces from Sozzani’s personal wardrobe, an awards dinner honouring Julianne Moore, Salma Hayek, and Iman, and a Zara capsule collection featuring Peter Lindbergh‘s photography.
 
The Franca Fund Gala is the result of Carrozzini’s goal of expanding the fund and was created in collaboration with Sheikha Al Mayassa. Along with raising global awareness of the fund and its work, the gala also gave designers the opportunity to dress their muses in their latest designs, such as supermodels Natalia Vodianova who wore Dolce & Gabbana, Mariacarla Boscono who wore Giorgio Armani, and Rania Benchegra who wore Elie Saab.