Product Red is a licensed brand and charity initiated by musician and activist Bono and Bobby Shriver, with the aim of putting a stop to the transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus from infected mothers to their unborn children. In 2008, Bono organised the first (RED) auction in New York City with the help of artist Damien Hirst, which turned out to be a glamorous event that raised over $42 million in support of ‘‘The Global Fund to fight HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.’’ This year sees Bono organising another (RED) auction for the same cause, this time with the help of top designers Jony Ive and Marc Newson, in collaboration with some of the most prominent design studios, technology institutes and product manufacturers worldwide.

''When you think of Jony and Marc, you think of design which is both iconic and sublime. Those two words can be applied to the unique collection of objects on the auction block this November. Each bang of that hammer will be raising critical dollars to fight AIDS… by getting medication to mothers with HIV which means they will not pass the virus on to their newborns.''
Paul David Hewson (Bono)

LEICA
DIGITAL RANGEFINDER CAMERA
Custom-made by Jony Ive and Marc Newson for the (RED) Auction 2013. Edition 01/01.

This is the first time that Jony Ive (Senior Vice President of Apple Inc) and Marc Newson (world-renowned designer) work together for a joint project. For the auction they have curated a collection of 44 iconic (and highly desirable) design objects from around the world, most of which have been customised especially for the (RED) auction. The collection is a spectacular line-up of limited-edition design products, including a saddle by Hermès with custom red stitches, an original Russian astronaut’s suit, a custom-painted Steinway Parlor Grand Model A piano, a bespoke pair of Christian Louboutin women’s boots, an Apple Mac Pro computer cased in a red cylinder, and much much more. In addition, Ive and Newson have co-designed two brand new objects for the auction: an aluminium desk with a sleek, solid design, produced by Neal Feay Studio, and a one-of-a-kind aluminium Leica Digital Rangefinder Camera (whose starting bid at $500,000 makes it the most expensive item in the collection).

''It's been a thrilling journey for Jony and me to curate this collection of pieces that celebrate extraordinary design that we love, that transcends all boundaries of time and place. These objects were each conceived to resolve a singularly focused challenge, yet have subsequently achieved a cultural significance that's above and beyond their initial functionality. Each object and the process of creating it conveys a rich set of human values, so it seems fitting that they should be auctioned with a different sense of human value in mind, to raise as much as possible to help people's lives today.''
Marc Newson

A limited edition catalogue for the auction has been designed by designer and illustrator Richard Allan, with photography by renowned photographer and filmmaker Andrew Zuckerman. The book includes introductory essays by actor, poet and author Stephen Fry and Bono, as well as commentary from Jony Ive and Marc Newson.

The auction will take place at Sotheby’s (1334 York Avenue, New York, NY) on 23 November 2013. The collection is already on display at Sotheby’s until Saturday 23 November 2013. All proceedings will go to ‘‘The Global Fund to fight HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.’’