Cotton made in Africa Celebrates its Bathrobe Day Premiere

29.06.2017

Celebrities, Hamburg testimonials, non-political organizations and textile companies flew the flag for Cotton made in Africa

On the occasion of the Bathrobe Day premiere, Cotton made in Africa kindled a beacon of engagement for smallholder farmers in Africa as well as for nature. In social media and at events in Hamburg, many supporters such as Valentina Pahde, Motsi Mabuse, Johanna Klum and Johannes Strate presented themselves publicly in bathrobes in order to set an undeniable signal for Cotton made in Africa. They flew the flag for the protection of our environment and hundreds of thousand cotton farmers in Africa.

On this day of action, the initiative, founded by Dr. Michael Otto, called upon everyone to improve the world by wearing a bathrobe. National celebrities such as Maite Kelly, Namika, Minh-Khai Phan-Thi or Laura Chaplin and Florian Ambrosius, characters from Hamburg such as Barkassen Meyer, businesses and non-political organizations followed this appeal and posted their selfies in the popular garment under #bathrobeday, #wearasmile, and @cottonmadeinafrica.
Famous statues in Hamburg such as the Beatles in St. Pauli, the Zitronenjette, Moai Angelito, and Störtebeker also appeared in bathrobes just like the rowing eight from the club Favorite Hammonia. A flash mob attracted attention in the city center of Hamburg: Bathrobe wearers trekked from the main station through Mönckebergstraße as far as the town hall market and demonstrated how easy it is to do something good whilst wearing and giving a smile.
Organizations such as the WWF, Welthungerhilfe or CARE, Hamburg institutions such the Hamburg Dungeon and the initiative ‘Platz schaffen mit Herz’ (make room with the heart) also participated in Cotton made in Africa’s “Wear a Smile” campaign and appeared in a bathrobe on Bathrobe Day. Furthermore, renowned companies and textile firms such as bonprix, OTTO, the Otto Group, Tchibo, the Rewe Group, ALDI SÜD, Ernsting’s family, and ABOUT YOU supported the campaign: Consumers can wear a smile with each Cotton made in Africa garment, support smallholder farmers through better working and living conditions and protect nature.
“Together with many supporters and with plenty of fun, we were able to bring 695,000 African smallholder farmers to public attention. We are very happy about the huge response in social media as well as with our local bathrobe campaigns,” explains Tina Stridde, Director of the initiative Cotton made in Africa.
Further information can be found on the attached fact sheet as well as at https://www.wearasmile.org/.

A gallery of photos from the Bathrobe Day is available for download under this link.

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