Obakki Pop Up Exhibit at Walrus

Philanthropy is something that’s always in style in the fashion industry. Every so often we’ll see big names like Gucci and Vivienne Westwood partnering with foundations such as Unicef and Ethical Fashion Initiative. While the idea behind it is noble, most of these collaborations are short-term, limited edition collections that donate a portion of their sales to the foundation of their choice. It’s better than nothing, but I have to admit: sometimes I cringe when I look at these collections and see $500+ pieces knowing only 10% of that money will actually go towards their charitable cause.

That’s why walking into the Obakki Foundation Pop Up Exhibit at Walrus last week was like a breath of fresh air. The Obakki Foundation is the project of Treana Peake, a home-grown Vancouver girl who is making a huge splash in the fashion world with her luxury label Obakki. Obakki absorbs all the costs of the Obakki Foundation, so that 100% of proceeds from foundation merchandise can go towards drilling new wells in South Sudan and Cameroon.

The photography at the exhibit focuses on Dinka cattle camps in South Sudan, an area that’s been mostly untouched my modern society due to the fact that the country has been embroiled in civil war for forty years. What Treana captures in her photography is beautiful and moving, an otherworldly place where some of the world’s last animist people reside. Unfortunately their land is threatened by severe water shortage, which leads to constant violence between groups in an effort to obtain territory. This is where the Obakki Foundation comes in, they provide clean water access by drilling wells in high conflict zones identified by the United Nations in an effort to preserve Dinka culture and create peace, so that bigger groups such as the U.N. can come in and provide further assistance.

Each photograph is printed on Fujicolor Crystal Archive Paper and mounted to 1/4” acrylic. If photography isn’t really your thing, Walrus is also carries an assortment of Obakki Foundation merchandise, including their Signature Red Scarf, which I loved because not only was it super soft and stylish but when 500 are sold Obakki Foundation will use that money to provide clean water access to a South Sudanese village and keep you updated on it!

The Obakki Pop Up Photography Exhibit will be at Walrus (3408 Cambie St.) until October 14th, make sure to drop in and check out some beautiful art and support a worthy cause.

Featured image credit: Walrus/Obakki