Giorgio Armani Acqua for Life is empowering women and girls this Women’s Day

There is a special place in beauty heaven for brands that give back to society. It warmed our hearts so much to learn about the amazing work one of our favourite brands, Giorgio Armani, is doing for women and girls.

To mark International Women’s Day, the Giorgio Armani Acqua for Life initiative underlines that one of the integral elements of women’s empowerment on a global scale is access to water, the absence of which reinforces gender inequality. Every day, women and girls around the world will spend a collective 200 million hours fetching water, a duty that deprives them of time that could otherwise be spent working, in education, or caring for their families. But when women are empowered with clean water and sanitation, it can change their world, allowing them to live their lives to their full potential.

Acqua for Life is Giorgio Armani’s initiative focusing on delivering universal access to drinking water in water-scarce regions. Initiated in 2010, the same year that the United Nations recognized the right to water and sanitation as a human right, Acqua for Life has been a commitment for the brand ever since. In 2021, the cumulative level of funding that Acqua for Life has provided to its strategic partners over the years will hit the 10 million Euros mark.

Over the last three years, renowned photographer Viviane Sassen has visited both Madagascar and Nepal to capture Acqua for Life projects with its strategic partner WaterAid. From her visits, Viviane Sassen has created a film and photographs that convey the transformative impact that clean water has on the daily lives of local communities. Through the joyful and optimistic lens of the artist, the film and images illustrate the intrinsic connection between water and life.

Looking to the future, Acqua for Life is committed to continue expanding its engagement with communities around the world to deliver universal access to safe drinking water.

Since 2010, Acqua for Life has initiated water projects in 20 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ghana, Greater China, Haiti, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Today, Acqua for Life begins 2021 with eight active projects, including three new projects in India, Madagascar, and Malawi, with these latest three projects combined set to reach more than 125,000 people.

The beauty of nature is an ongoing source of inspiration for Giorgio Armani. More specifically, water is the most prominent one, and the most essential natural resource.

Acqua for Life was born from a philosophy as simple as it is fundamental: that water is one of the most important elements to life, as it creates life and empowers lives. Yet 1 in 10 people globally do not have access to clean water close to their home.

“Water is perhaps the element that I feel closest to. For me water represents life and regeneration, but also calmness and serenity. Access to clean water is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges in the 21st century.”  Giorgio Armani 

The Acqua for Life initiative focuses on delivering universal access to drinking water in water-scarce regions. Among its principal values are:

• a comprehensive approach committed to addressing the issues of clean water, hygiene, and sanitation in those communities most in need
• activities that include the installation of water points, latrines, and rainwater collection, water filtering, and water purification systems
• a sustainable approach to structuring projects, including education for the community about how to maintain the projects and WASH (water, hygiene, and sanitation) behavior, to empower local communities and sustain Acqua for Life projects in the long term

Access to clean water has a positive socio-economic impact on communities’ health and livelihood. Via its projects, Acqua for Life’s mission is to play a role in helping people reclaim their right to drinking water and sanitation.

Acqua for Life partners and sustains an ongoing conversation with three main partners worldwide: Unicef, WaterAid, and Water.org.

Next time you spritz your favourite Giorgio Armani fragrance, we hope it brings you overwhelming joy knowing that the brand you chose, is making a real difference to people’s lives.