As part of its global kindness mission, Kurt Geiger has partnered with Duke of London to support ‘Christmas Dinner Richmond’ to provide a truly festive Christmas lunch for young care leavers aged 18-25.
‘Christmas Dinner Richmond’ is an annual event giving over 50 of these young care leavers a safe and enjoyable space to celebrate Christmas Day. Volunteers from the local community are coming together to create a truly festive and celebratory Christmas Day for these young adults who, after having left foster care at 18, are without support and do not have their own families to celebrate with. This year is the charity’s fourth Christmas Day Dinner to ensure that no young adult, who has spent their childhood and adolescence in care, feels alone on Christmas Day.
Kurt Geiger has created two limited-edition pairs ‘his and hers’ loafers – the Duke & Duchess Loafers – with 100% of the net profits being donated to ‘Christmas Dinner Richmond’. The luxurious loafers have been designed in collaboration with Merlin McCormack and Georgia Peck from ‘Duke of London’, the family-run classic and super car hub. Both Merlin and Georgia are keen advocates and volunteers for the charity and have teamed-up with the Kurt Geiger London design team to create these limited-edition loafers helping to raise money for the event.
Neil Clifford, CEO of Kurt Geiger says: “Kindness has become a core value for us at Kurt Geiger, especially over the last 18 months, and we have made it our mission to create a kind, diverse and inclusive fashion company. We have donated over £1 million in kind to the NHS and a significant portion of our profits to charities in the last two years through our ‘Be Kind’ and NHS product ranges, and we have strived to make our brand campaigns as inclusive and representative as possible.
“We are always looking for more ways to support our community so when my friends Merlin and Georgia from ‘Duke of London’ told me about their work with ‘Christmas Dinner Richmond’, it was a perfect fit, and I immediately knew that Kurt Geiger London needed to be involved too.
“It’s a fantastic initiative and the event is a real celebration – all the young guests are given proper presents, chefs cook a delicious Christmas lunch for them, and taxis are provided to pick up and take everyone home.
“We wanted to create a new product with all profits going to the charity, so we worked with Merlin and Georgia to create the Duke and Duchess loafers. We have also pledged to donate £20,000 to the cause so that these young care leavers are given the Christmas they deserve as well as the continued support from the charity throughout the year.
“Christmas Dinner Richmond’s goal is to create a community and family environment for these young care leavers. These are ambitious, intelligent and resilient young adults who have so much potential, however, without any form of support or family, their prospects are hugely hindered. I hope that our contribution can help provide these young adults with the support they deserve to thrive.”
Georgia Peck of Duke of London says: “Christmas Dinner Richmond is an extremely worthy cause to ensure that these young people, who are incredibly bright and resilient, don’t spend Christmas alone. It is a real celebration and, for the last four years, has helped to create a community and support system for them. Many of these young adults have no family and are left to their own devices after their eighteenth birthday.
“Picture your favourite thing, your favourite place, and your favourite person – and now imagine that being taken away from you, not just once, but over and over again. This is an all-too-common experience for so many of these young care leavers, who after becoming legal adults at 18 years old, stop receiving support from the council.
“With support from ‘Christmas Day Richmond’, many of these young adults have gone on to start businesses, start their own charities and also become volunteers themselves, with several even acting as trustees for the charity.
“It was amazing to work with Kurt Geiger to support this initiative that is so close to our hearts. We live in Richmond and first got involved last year in lockdown. The loafers we designed are a fantastic Christmas gift and most importantly, 100% of all profits go to the charity. It’s a win-win, you get great shoes and support an amazing cause! So, go and buy your shoes!”
