Rebekah Yeoh gets behind Michael Kors's Watch Hunger Stop 2023 campaign

This Malaysian social entrepreneur gets behind Michael Kors’s mission to create a ripple effect of kindness and positive change that illuminates the world

In 2013, Michael Kors decided to spotlight the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a global humanitarian organisation bringing life-saving food to people affected by conflict, disaster and poverty, with a dedicated campaign in October: Watch Hunger Stop. This year marks a decade of the New York-based luxury brand’s commitment to the cause, which supports WFP in delivering life-changing school meals to children in food-insecure regions of the world.

This year’s campaign features Hollywood celebrities Halle Berry and Kate Hudson, two early and ardent supporters of the Kors initiative who have seen firsthand the positive impact the WFP has brought to communities worldwide. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of this important partnership, Michael Kors also presents a special edition watch, as well as a tote bag and pocket t-shirt designed in collaboration with Sang Bleu, a creative agency known for its unique logo designs.

Michael Kors’s cause also resonates with some of the most influential figures in the Tatler community, namely Rebekah Yeoh. This corporate powerhouse strives to spread kindness and positively impact underserved communities.

She is behind several social enterprises in Malaysia, including Recyclothes, a boutique that curates donated secondhand clothes and sells them at affordable prices, and Nimble Fingers Cambodia, which helps underprivileged Cambodian children break out of the cycle of poverty. “Kindness mean selflessly giving to others out of unconditional pureness. It is a not a self-involved vested interest, it is a genuine desire to contribute towards the betterment of someone’s life out of spiritual values and inner principals,” she says.

Below, we speak to Yeoh about her past experience participating in Michael Kors’s Watch Hunger Stop initiative and why she has chosen to continue her support for the campaign in 2023.

Above Rebekah Yeoh is a prominent figure of the Tatler community, known for her philanthropic efforts

Can you share your experience of giving an act of kindness? How has it impacted you?

When it comes to showing kindness, I am a strong believer that it should not be a one-time thing. I always remind myself that I can do so much more to grow, and from a corporate perspective, there is so much untapped potential in ensuring sustainable and relevant support and scale positive, long-lasting impact for communities in need.

Everyone can always do a little bit more; it can be as simple as lending an ear or an act of service. There is something so rewarding about giving a stranger your time of the day, even if it’s just five minutes, and I believe it is human nature to want to search for ways of showing kindness.

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How does the Watch Hunger Stop campaign resonate with your core beliefs?

I love the concept of marrying retail and charity. This very much resonates with Recyclothes and how we combine fashion with the reduction of waste. I have also worked with Watch Hunger Stop in the past to organise food-packing assemblies for underprivileged communities as part of company corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives; I am familiar with the kind of impact they have on society and how they capitalise corporate multinational’s desires to redistribute wealth and give back responsibly.

I am thrilled how fashion powerhouses like Michael Kors understand and acknowledge the huge influence they can have on the philanthropic movement and how they are working towards integrating this in their core corporate responsibilities and adopted values. Michael Kors has an incredible outreach and footprint in the fashion industry to do so.

Above See how Rebekah Yeoh styles her Michael Kors x Sang Bleu designs

What do you think of Michael Kors’s 10th anniversary campaign, including its special edition designs?

It's inspiring how this annual campaign chooses to highlight personalities who are making a real difference and striving to build a world with zero hunger. It also gives them a chance to express themselves through impactful fashion, giving retail a much more wholesome meaning behind their brands. In a similar way that everyone gives back to society in their own individual unique way, these special edition designs are versatile in how they can be styled.

But the best thing is that they carry so much significance in their message alone.

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Why Michael Kors’s Watch Hunger Stop campaign resonates with Rebekah Yeoh