On Friday evening, WELL/BEINGS co-founders Amanda Hearst Rønning and Breanna Schultz welcomed guests to their 7th Annual Full Circle Benefit Gala at the Chelsea Factory in downtown Manhattan. The organization, which supports environmental measures and ocean health, helped raise money for its ongoing Save the Mangroves, Save the Ocean campaign, which focuses on mangrove trees for their extraordinary ability to absorb carbon and maintain coastal integrity. Through fundraising efforts, the charity’s hope is to restore and conserve the natural infrastructure in places like the Dominican Republic, where the night’s honoree, Oscar de la Renta co-creative director Fernando Garcia, is from.
“When I think about our Save the Mangroves, Save the Ocean campaign, I don’t just see mangroves—I see hope, ” Schultz says. “I see thousands of mangrove seedlings we’ve planted across the Caribbean. I see the resilience of communities, incredible people coming together to protect their home from severe storms impacted by climate change and working for a better planet for us all.” Adds Hearst Rønning: “Mangroves are one of the most effective nature-based solutions to combating climate change, and most people don’t even know what a mangrove is. The mangroves we save today will help protect the lives of people and animals tomorrow.”
Along with his fellow honoree, Fundermar partner Maria Villalpando, Garcia took the stage to express his gratitude for WELL/BEINGS protecting his home. “I’m a pretty simple person; I get inspired by beautiful things,” he told the crowd. “And something that moved me when Oscar [de la Renta] gave me an internship back in 2009 is he would not not let us go to the Dominican Republic to design the prior collection….The beauty that inspired him was the country, and the mangroves are [part of that]. I feel that not only is it my duty to continue protecting them and inspiring people to be inspired by the country that I’m in, but if I had one more purpose in life outside of making pretty dresses for friends of mine like Amanda, it’s to continue perpetuating the protection of the beauty of my country.”
Following the dinner, a vegetarian meal by Bronx-based chef collective Ghetto Gastro, Christie’s New York led a live auction of prizes, including tickets to the world premiere of TRON: Ares and a private styling session with celebrity stylist Karla Welch. Then DJ Mei Kwok kicked off the dance party at the warehouse-style venue, which once served as the studio of photographer Annie Liebowitz, and featured an installation created by Parley Ocean Plastic and fashion event and production group BEDNARK. The highlight? A late-night performance by mentalist Josh Beckerman, a.k.a. the Foodie Magician.
The guest list included Joachim Rønning, Katie Sturino, Sai De Silva, Dr. Lara Devgan, Arden Wohl, Ubah Hassan, Dria Murphy, Claire Stern Milch, and more. Scroll through the gallery below for an exclusive look inside.
