When you think of Versace, you probably think of colorful patterns, sexy dresses, and a celebrity-studded fashion show front row. Unless, that is, you’re in China’s Sichuan Province, where Versace just opened its second center to help children deal with the devastating psychological effects of last year’s earthquakes there.
The facility, officially called the Versace One Foundation Children’s Centre, is located at an elementary school in Shuimo, Wenchuan, in Southwest China. It will treat around 500 kids and their families annually, and was funded with money raised last year at a Beijing charity gala that the Versace folks put together. The Centre is a partnership between Versace and Jet Li’s One Foundation, as is a similar relief facility that was opened last year in San Jiang, Sichuan.
Both Versace centers specialize in post-traumatic therapy and counseling for kids. Even for those that got through the quake with their friends and families intact, losing homes and possessions — and the dealing with recurring nightmares that it might happen again — is simply more than some children can handle without some help.
Sure, Tuesday’s Centre opening (pictured) might not have featured the on-trend fashion statements you’d find at a typical Versace event, but helping kids is always going to be in vogue, no matter what everyone’s wearing.