Evie Evangelou
Fashion 4 Development

Using Fashion and the Arts for Global Change

“The multicultural nature of New York City has inspired everything I do,” explains City native, philanthropist, and global change agent, Evie Evangelou. From the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to the stage at Lincoln Center to center stage at the United Nations, to the creation of her Fashion4Development (F4D) brand, Evie has been making a difference by highlighting the commonalties within diversity. Evie’s a visionary who uses fashion to bring people together, and in doing so, has created real economic opportunities for women and put a spotlight on the importance of sustainability in the fashion industry.

One of Evie’s many endeavors include hosting the Annual First Ladies Luncheon, which premiered in 2011, and took place on the opening day of the UN General Assembly General Debate. This year’s luncheon featured a stunning runway show of international designers with awards given to agents of change. One award given was a special posthumous tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, in partnership with the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust based in the UK. Agents of change from the past have included Diane von Furstenberg, Victoria Beckham, Annie Lennox, Naomi Campbell, and Iman to name a few. F4D also hosted the Sustainable Goals Banquet, whose honorees included Dr. Ramon Tallaj of SOMOS Community Care.

Goodwill Ambassador

Evie herself has received an impressive number of honors including a Fashion Group International Humanitarian Award, being a Goodwill Ambassador, and acknowledgment by the US Senate. It all started in the late 90s when she launched NUbreed Synergy of the Arts at Lincoln Center. She utilized her multicultural passion to develop a program bringing 200 artists of nine creative sectors from around the world together to be showcased annually for several years.

A music performance might have background art from a Japanese animator, songs sung by Colombian singers, with dancers performing choreography by a German choreographer while wearing costumes designed by a Mexican fashion designer. The artists produced cohesive and dynamic performances while showcasing the value of cultural diversity.

But even the best of projects need money and Evie understood to get people to help, a little flair can go a long way. With her gracious demeanor, and quiet charm, Evie was able to collect items for a Celebrity Arts Auction at Christie’s. She had everything from John Travolta’s jacket from Grease to a Rauschenberg Painting to Beatles tickets from 1964. It was there she and her vision were spotted by one of the Deputy Secretary Generals of the UN.

From L’Uomo Vogue to Prime Ministers & Presidents

From the beginning, she says, “I fought and chased the Secretary General to allow me to bring the fashion sector into the UN. The first project we did in cooperation with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon was an issue of L’Uomo Vogue, the Italian Men’s Vogue, on Rebranding Africa spearheaded by F4D’s Global Goodwill Ambassador Franca Sozzani, editor and chief of Vogue Italia. Its features included interviews with Heads of State, Royals, fashion designers, architects, filmmakers, musicians, and artists to highlight Africa’s creativity and beauty.

This success led to the show Fashion 4 Development on the global UN channel. Despite initial pushback — “I was told I was crazy, that they were just doing interview shows with Prime Ministers and Presidents” — Evie prevailed, and it became one of their most watched programs.

Evie shared her insights, “People don’t want to watch a speech. It’s boring with everybody saying the same things about the same problems. But what are the solutions? I realized people were watching my show because of the beauty and excitement but at the same time, we were doing real stories that inspired. Such as designers in Africa and Asia cleaning up garbage dumps of plastics, recycling it and hiring local women to make it into handbags and other reusable materials and products. Those products then appeared on the runway with their collections during Fashion Weeks around the globe.”

F4D: Using the Runway to Inspire Change

Fashion4Develoment (F4D) became a natural extension of this concept. It’s more than an organization, it’s a brand. It’s a social enterprise. “We don’t raise money to donate,” she clarified, “you could keep donating and giving money away and that’s good for an initial band-aid, but you need to make it sustainable for people.”

One of the many projects initiated by F4D created over $4 million in wages in Africa for women. “You just see these women, they’re putting shoes on their kids and buying school supplies and they’re feeding them a better diet, but they’re doing it with pride because they’re doing it through their work and not charity.”

Top brands like Prada, Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren and UN Diplomats including the President of the United Nations General Assembly attended the F4D 2021 Code Red Sustainable Goals Banquet to address the huge carbon footprint of waste and toxicity of the fashion industry and agricultural regeneration needed in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute and its Director Fabio Finotti, the UN Member State of Italy and its Ambassador H.E. Maurizio Massari.

Global Runway in 2025

Evie’s latest project is an impressive and inspiring Global Runway in 2025. Aspects include bringing together more than 100 countries for a runway show in the UN General Assembly Hall, producing a 3rd film series with F4D Goodwill Ambassador Lola Tillyaeva, founder of the Human Kind Institute and co-authoring the Global Runway coffee table book of international designers and storytelling of their cultures in partnership with renowned international artist and writer Stephanie Dillon .The goal, of course, is peace, reconciliation, cultural education and exchange, opportunity, sustainability, and global unity. Evie is a shining light for change. What advice does she have for anyone wanting to follow in her footsteps? “Know anything is possible if it comes from the heart, and you have the passion to do it.”  Is there a philosophy she lives by? Yes. “Giving Back is the New Luxury.”  fashion4development.com