The Foundation for Living Beauty partnered with Valentino for the second consecutive year, raising about $640,000 on Wednesday to continue providing supportive services to women with cancer.
Once again, founder Amie Satchu opened her home in Beverly Hills for the luncheon, attended by Gabrielle Union, Petra Flannery and Jason Bolden. All three were cohosts for the fundraiser, which featured a shoppable spring 2024 Valentino pop-up.
“This recent collection is all about a woman’s choice and right to choose what she wears, and to be empowered in that,” said Satchu, a model and the creator of vintage jewelry company Maison Mèrenor (counting Nicole Kidman, Eva Longoria and Sofía Vergara as clients). “And so, I really found a lot of inspiration in that. And we were so happy to be able to have this collection.”
Satchu, like many, was dressed in head-to-toe Valentino. The women shopped while sipping on gin-rosé martinis (made with strawberry olive oil) and margaritas (with OMI beauty peptides). The lunch menu, created by chef Trevor Ross, included truffled cheese toast and arugula served with turmeric bone broth; bergamot chicken, and elderberry cake made with Saint Supply olive oil. Before sitting down, guests stopped by the “clean” beauty gifting suite and bid in a silent auction; items included experiences like a private group dinner and tequila tasting at Clase Azul’s private residence (valued at $10,000), a David Yurman classic Cablespira bracelet ($1,900), Partlow Leigh Anne boots ($995) and Diana Madison skin care products with a “relaxation glow” facial at the Neiman Marcus spa in Beverly Hills ($500).
“We support over 1,600 women with free services that are based on wellness and uplifting, empowering and educating these women,” Satchu went on. “So, that ranges from wellness retreats to educational offerings to one-on-one therapeutic sessions to even emergency financial assistance.”
Each year the organization collaborates with a different brand — past partners have included Tom Ford, Lanvin, Stella McCartney and Bottega Veneta — with a portion of sales donated to the cause. Satchu launched The Foundation for Living Beauty, based in Pasadena, Calif., in 2005 after her late mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. “She was really the nucleus of the organization,” Satchu said of her mother in 2023. “And it really grew out of her need and longing for quality of life along the emotionally exhausting cancer journey.”
The focus this year is on supporting single mothers, she added on Wednesday. “These are women who don’t have the support systems at home, that are still raising children, working so hard to provide for their family, still managing a household while continuing to fight for their lives.”
