Cipriani and NYC Consulates: Don't Host a Fashion Show by the Daughter of a Dictator

How We Won

Sep 16, 2011

Human rights advocates kept Gulnara Karimov -- daughter of the Uzbek dictator who forces millions of children into child labor in the cotton fields each year -- from showing her face at her own fashion show!

After her fashion show at New York Fashion Week was canceled when the event organizers learned of her connection to human rights abuses, Gulnara Karimova, daughter of the president of Uzbekistan, decided to relocate her show. When reports first emerged that Karimova was hoping to host the fashion show for her GULI line at Cipriani's 42nd Street location, ILRF quickly posted a petition on Change.org calling on the venue to reject the show. Despite flooding Cipriani's e-mail inboxes and phone lines, the restaraunt decided to host the show. However, Gulnara Karimova was mysteriously absent from the event.

Thanks everyone for supporting this campaign and sending a clear message that the fashion industry won't stand for forced child labor.

Gulnara Karimova is the daughter of the President of Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan as well as Uzbekistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva and the Ambassador to Spain. As an official representative of the government, she’s well aware of the state-sponsored use of forced child labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry. Every harvest season, including the current season that has just begun, young people are removed from schools across the country and forced to meet government-imposed production quotas. Karimova is also known as “the single most hated person” in Uzbekistan, according to recently leaked diplomatic cables, for allegedly using her political connections to crush business competitors.

Ms. Karimova is also an aspiring fashion designer who is hoping to show her collection during New York Fashion Week. IMG, one of the organizers of the official New York Fashion Week, has already cancelled her show when it was made aware of her connection to human rights abuses. Now, the New York Post reports that Karimova is approaching Cipriani’s restaurant chain in New York to host her show. Cipriani’s restaurant, whose owners pled guilty of tax evasion several years ago, should not provide a forum for Karimova’s show. Neither should the consulates of Russia, Spain, Switzerland or the United Arab Emirates which have also been approached about hosting the show.

Join us in telling these venues that forced child labor is out of style and asking them to refuse to host Karimova’s show.

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