Beyond the PURR Sale: The Full Scope of Vanessa Getty’s Fashion Philanthropy
The PURR Sale is the most discussed example of Vanessa Getty’s use of fashion as a fundraising vehicle. It is not the only one.
Over two decades, Getty has applied the same underlying logic—that fashion connections, social visibility, and access to desirable things are resources that can be directed toward meaningful outcomes—across a range of formats and causes. Each one reflects a slightly different application of the same approach.
The Judith Leiber advertising campaign was one expression of it. Getty appeared in the campaign not as a fashion opportunity but as a charitable one: the campaign was structured specifically to raise funds for SF Bay Humane Friends, turning a brand collaboration into a direct donation mechanism. The fashion industry’s normal transaction—brand commissions talent, talent promotes brand—was reoriented to benefit the cause.
The trunk shows and brand events she organized with houses including Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, and Mulberry followed a related structure: private events, fashion goods, and charitable proceeds. Rather than staging a separate fundraiser, Getty folded the giving into the transaction, making generosity feel like a natural feature of the event rather than an awkward coda.
Her amfAR work connected the fashion world to AIDS research through a social architecture she understood well. The charity poker tournaments and fundraising galas she co-chaired brought fashion-world figures and other supporters into rooms organized around both entertainment and giving. Her sustained involvement earned her the organization’s Award of Courage—a recognition reflecting years of event leadership, donor cultivation, and practical follow-through rather than a ceremonial distinction.
Her inclusion on Vanity Fair’s International Best-Dressed List in 2014 operated as a platform rather than simply a recognition. It expanded her network, brought her work to a different readership, and positioned her causes in circles that might not otherwise have encountered them.
“The most stylish people I consider best dressed,” she has said, “are never driven by trends. Personal style rises above that—knowing what works for you and sticking to it.”
The same logic applies to her philanthropic work. She has found what works—a network, a model, a consistent set of causes—and she has sustained it across twenty years. Fashion was always the infrastructure. The animals, the arts institutions, and the public health causes were always the outcome.