Today John Varvatos and his family and friends celebrated the 11th Annual Stuart House Benefit, presented by Chrysler, at his Los Angeles boutique. The event, hosted by Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo, closed Melrose Avenue at Robertson in the heart of West Hollywood to raise $939,000 for Stuart House – the UCLA Rape Treatment Center’s internationally recognized model program serving sexually abused children.
The day treated more than 1,500 guests to an afternoon of luxury shopping, live and silent auctions, great food and fun filled children’s activities in the Hasbro Studios kids’ tent. The event’s emcee, Bill Bellamy, hosted the live auction and introduced the special live performance by Willie Nelson & Sons.
After the star-studded red carpet arrivals that included many f Hollywood’s top names, Gail Abarbanel, the Founder and Director of Stuart House, and John Varvatos took center stage to welcome the event’s guests, share the charity’s accomplishments and introduce Honorary Co-Chairs Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo.
“It’s inspiring what they do at Stuart House. Everything is about making the child feel safe. To have John Varvatos come forth and bring attention to the abuse of children, especially because he’s a man, makes it extra special,” says Amy Adams.
To contribute to the cause beyond the LA-based event, the Stuart House Benefit is also supported via an online auction with Charitybuzz.com, which features all-access experiences like the chance to hang in the studio with Howard Stern, have lunch with director Judd Apatow, attend fashion week with Diane von Furstenberg, enjoy a shopping spree with John Varvatos and much more.
Launched in 2000 with a collection of tailored clothing and sportswear, John Varvatos now represents an entire men’s lifestyle that includes footwear, bags, belts, eyewear, limited edition watches, men’s fragrances, and John Varvatos U.S.A. Collection and Boys’ line, as well as Converse by John Varvatos.
The designer has been recognized three times by the CFDA with an American Fashion Award for New Menswear Designer (June 2000) and Menswear Designer of the Year (June 2001 and June 2005) and was honored as GQ’s “Designer of the Year” in 2007 and The CNN Style Awards “Menswear Designer of the Year” in 2013.
In October 2013, John released his first book entitled John Varvatos: Rock in Fashion, which documents the elements of rock style that are intrinsic in the music community. Further rooting the brand in music, John Varvatos entered into a strategic partnership with Republic Records to formally launch JOHN VARVATOS RECORDS in February 2014. The collection is distributed in freestanding John Varvatos boutiques across the U.S. and Canada, online, as well as in better department stores throughout the world.