RVDK & Christie’s Auction Couture Facemasks to Aid Refugee Company


Fashion designer Ronald van der Kemp (RVDK) has teamed with Christie’s for an online charity auction, which is open for bidding today September 17th through September 30th on www.christies.com. RVDK donated 29 couture masks for the auction that were part of a sustainable performance art piece entitled “Army of Love” from April 2020, which included a manifesto imploring the fashion industry to use the global pandemic as an opportunity to hit the reset button for a more sustainable future. All 29 facemask can be viewed at Christie’s Amsterdam on weekdays by appointment from 10.00am to 5.00pm through September 30th, 2020.

The “Army of Love” performance occurred on April 28th, 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 lockdown, and included 29 Dutch models wearing couture masks and waving white flags at the Hotel de l’Europe signaling a surrender to a more sustainable future by choosing quality over quantity and championing local craftsmanship.

The 29 masks will be auctioned off to benefit the Refugee Company foundation, which recently opened the first local face mask factory in The Netherlands called Mondmaskerfabriek. The facemasks were crafted by RVDK’S couture atelier and will be accompanied by a framed original sketch by Van Der Kemp.