London hosts an unforgettable parade of elephants

The statues of elephants currently on display all over central London may add a little whimsy to the urban landscape…

The statues of elephants currently on display all over central London – more than 250 of them – may add a little whimsy to the urban landscape, but they’ve been created with a serious cause in mind. Elephant Parade 2010 is a campaign in aid of Elephant Family, a charity dedicated to preventing the extinction of the Asian elephant.

Designed by artists, designers and celebrities, from Alice Temperley to Terence Conran, the sculptures will be auctioned off next month by Sotheby’s, and are expected to raise more than £1m (similar Elephant Parades in Holland and Belgium have generated about £1.6m for the charity).

Issa’s fashion designer Daniella Helayel – whose sculptural contribution to the Parade can be seen on South Molton Street (first picture) – has also created an elephant-patterned silk scarf (second picture, £108, exclusively at Matches), 10 per cent of profits from the sales of which will go to Elephant Family.

Meanwhile, The World Land Trust has partnered with mining company Gemfields and eight jewellery designers – including Theo Fennell (earrings, third picture) and Shaun Leane – to create Emeralds for Elephants, a collection of one-off jewels to be auctioned by Sotheby’s in the Selfridges Wonder Room on June 22, with all proceeds benefiting the Trust’s Indian Elephant Corridor Project.