Paul Smith for Holt Renfrew
Movember mittens.
Movember has come a long way since its humble beginnings. In 2003, friends Travis Garone and Luke Slattery in Melbourne, Australia decided it was time to bring back the moustache trend and create a campaign to raise funds for men’s health and prostate cancer. In its first year, Movember had 30 participants and didn’t raise a dollar. By 2007, when Canada joined the program, the campaign had six participating countries and raised $20.5 million. Last year, the charity raised $146.6 million and had 1.1 million registered participants across 21 countries.
Now as recognizable as October’s breast cancer pink ribbon, a moustache in November is synonymous with support for men’s health. As such, designer collaborations in the name of the charity have begun to take off, and this year, Holt Renfrew has collaborated with British designer Sir Paul Smith to create a collection of mittens benefitting the charity, emblazoned with Smith’s signature stripes. The limited-edition mittens come in two sizes and bear the month’s moustache emblem. The Canadian retailer hopes to raise $100,000 for Movember through the sale of Smith’s mittens, which are available for purchase in stores October 15.
