Luís Buchinho joined the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation in this 45th edition of Portugal Fashion. Inspired by his most recent collection, the Portuguese designer is dressed, in a limited edition, a couple of charity dolls, Maria and Pedro, whose sales were donated in full to the three programmes of the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation: the Ronald McDonald Houses in Lisbon and Porto and the Ronald McDonald Family Space, at Santa Maria Hospital, in Lisbon.
The “Maria and Pedro dressed by Luís Buchinho” dolls were available during the event for 35 euros each (60 euros the couple) and those who buy them were invited to attend, in the first row, a runway show of their choice included in the line up of 45th Portugal Fashion.
Many Portuguese designers – Katty Xiomara, Miguel Vieira, Nuno Baltazar, and Júlio and Inês Torcato – have already participated in this initiative to dress Maria and Pedro with their creations for the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation’s charity collection.
The Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation’s charity collection seeks to reflect the many stories of children who daily visit the Ronald McDonald House in Porto, on the campus of the São João Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House in Lisbon, at Dona Estefânia Hospital in Lisbon, and the Ronald McDonald Family Area at the Santa Maria Hospital, also in the Portuguese capital. At the same time, the collection aims to increase the facilities available to families, offering them better conditions during the period of treatment of their children.
It was the families that the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation supports that prompted the designer to join the project. “I am very grateful to be able to participate in this initiative and help the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation and its projects. I hope that Maria and Pedro by Luís Buchinho will bring a lot of joy to those who buy them, in the certainty that they will help many families to be closer to their children who are undergoing hospital treatment”. Regarding Maria and Pedro’s look, Luís Buchinho reveals that “they were dressed according to the current spirit of my brand, which is of zero waste and use of all the materials already acquired. These materials can be reused through new approaches, gaining new languages. Besides, Maria and Pedro are wearing glasses from my new collection with Ergovisão”.
“It was with great joy that we were once again present in another edition of Portugal Fashion, this time with the work of Luís Buchinho who generously dressed Maria and Pedro. The result was amazing. We are sure that Maria and Pedro were appreciated on the Portugal Fashion catwalk”, guarantees Isabel Aragão, from the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation.
“This was the sixth time that the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation is present in the largest national fashion event with its own space. A unique moment, taking advantage of the many thousands of people who will visit the the Alfândega do Porto Congress Centre over the course of four days, and who very much help us to publicize our activities and the impact we have on the lives of so many families. It allows us to reach new audiences and raise the funds so necessary to expand our actions,” concludes Isabel Aragão.
For Portugal Fashion, “this partnership with the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation, an institution that carries out remarkable social support work aimed at children and their relatives, is quite rewarding”, said Portugal Fashion’s project leader, Mónica Neto.
“We are, therefore, very pleased and interested in promoting the sale of the charity dolls during the event. Besides, these campaigns involve fashion designers of whom we are very fond, and who help to show that the fashion industry has civic awareness and may be a powerful social solidarity tool”, she added.
About the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation™
The Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation is a private charity institution (IPSS) recognised as an institution of public interest, whose mission is to promote and carry out initiatives that improve the children and their families’ well-being. Established in 2000, it is supported by civil society and many partners, which include McDonald’s Portugal and its franchisees.
The Ronald McDonald House in Lisbon, inaugurated in 2008, is located at Largo Conde Pombeiro, near the Dona Estefânia Hospital and provides support to the Lisbon Centre Hospital Central. The Ronald McDonald House in Porto, inaugurated in 2013, is located on the grounds of the S. João Hospital, and provides support to the S. João Hospital Centre and to the IPO-Porto. The first Ronald McDonald Children’s Area in Portugal, inaugurated in 2017, is located at the Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon. In total, the two Houses and the Ronald McDonald Family Area have welcomed more than 3,200 families.
