Villager photo by Jefferson Siegel

Designing AIDS campaigns

Three hundred people filled the National Arts Club on Feb. 9 to honor Kenneth Cole, who was awarded the club’s First Annual Gold Medal of Honor for H.I.V./AIDS Awareness. O. Aldon James, club president — above, left, with Cole — described Cole as, “a man who has changed our world in most positive terms.” A top fashion designer, Cole has been at the forefront of AIDS activism since 1985. As chairperson of amfAR, he fused fashion with social activism. To unite various AIDS organizations and create a collective message, Cole launched a multimedia AIDS awareness campaign, “We All Have AIDS.” Former Governor Mario Cuomo and actor Alan Cumming also attended.