In celebration of its 60th anniversary, Amnesty International has teamed up with Moomin Characters Ltd to launch a brand-new limited range of products.
Using original illustrations drawn by Moomins creator and long-time Amnesty supporter Tove Jansson, the collection features canvas bags, beanies, water bottles, matchsticks, candles, sweaters and t-shirts, with 10% of all proceeds going towards Amnesty’s global human rights work.
What better way to celebrate the Moomin spirit and the hope of Amnesty’s mission than to light a candle?
Augusta Quiney, Head of Art for Amnesty
A key theme of many of the images used in the collection is a candle, in recognition of Amnesty International’s world-famous logo – a candle burning inside barbed wire. Accordingly, the collection has been entitled “Better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness,” in honour of an ancient Chinese proverb often invoked by Amnesty’s founder Peter Benenson.
“One of the most visible signs of hope is the candle, which brings light where and when it is needed. What better way to celebrate the Moomin spirit and the hope of Amnesty’s mission than to light a candle. We hope that this collection, based on some beautiful images created by Tove Jansson, captures that spirit,” said Augusta Quiney, Head of the Art for Amnesty programme behind the partnership at Amnesty International.
These illustrations by Tove Jansson were not only lovely works by a great artist, but also a reflection of the values she held dear: a belief that things can change for the better if we act together
Roleff Kråkström, Managing Director at Moomin Characters Ltd.
Throughout the 1980s Tove, together with her brother Lars Jansson, collaborated with various organizations with whom she shared common values, including Amnesty International’s Finnish section, donating pictures of the Moomins illustrating hope, justice and diversity. These illustrations have been much distributed and loved by people ever since.
“These illustrations by Tove Jansson were not only lovely works by a great artist but also a reflection of the values she held dear. These values are very much in line with what Amnesty International, as the world’s largest human rights organization, is known for: a belief that things can change for the better if we act together in solidarity and hope to fight against the world’s injustices,” said Roleff Kråkström, Managing Director at Moomin Characters Ltd.
The Moomin collection is available at https://shop.moomin.com/collections/amnesty-x-moomin for a limited time.
