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Brad Pitt among Oscars stars to sign suit for Romney Marsh's Prospect Cottage

10:12, 11 February 2020

updated: 11:46, 11 February 2020

An award-winning costume designer took a special outfit to the Oscars ceremony to raise money for a Kent landmark.

Sandy Powell, who was up for an Academy Award for costume design for her work with Netflix's The Irishman, wore a blank suit covered with celebrity signatures.

Brad Pitt also lent his signature to the cause. Photo: @thesandypowell [IG]
Brad Pitt also lent his signature to the cause. Photo: @thesandypowell [IG]

The acclaimed costumier, 59, wore the toile suit to the BAFTA film awards night last week, having it filled up with signatures from the A-list celebrities who attended.

Stars including Scarlett Johansson, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino all signed the suit, before it travelled west with Ms Powell to pick up more famous names in Los Angeles.

Stars that added their signature on Sunday included Leonardo Di Caprio, Antonio Banderas and Brad Pitt, who won an Oscar for best supporting actor that night.

Ms Powell, who has herself won three Oscars among numerous other accolades, is hoping to auction the suit to raise money to save Derek Jarman's house in Romney Marsh.

The campaign to save Prospect Cottage was launched by Art Fund on Wednesday January 22, aiming to raise £3.5 million.

Leonardo Di Caprio added his signature at the Oscars
Leonardo Di Caprio added his signature at the Oscars

Jarman was a long-time friend and mentor figure to Ms Powell, and as such she is hoping that auctioning the suit will go some way to reaching the final figure.

In an interview with campaign leaders Art Fund, she said: "I think meeting Derek determined the course of my life. Meeting him made me realise the kind of work I wanted to do.

"[Prospect Cottage] was just one of those places that you would visit, you would phone Derek up and say 'are you in Dungeness?', and go for a day trip.

"There is creativity seeping out of the walls, you walk into the house and you can just feel it.

"I don't know if Dungeness would be the same without it.

Sandy Powell wearing her signed suit at the BAFTAs. Photo: Matt Crossick/Empics
Sandy Powell wearing her signed suit at the BAFTAs. Photo: Matt Crossick/Empics

"It could be just this open house to encourage people to come and be creative, and I think he would have wanted that."

Art Fund aim to use the funds to preserve the "sanctuary of art and imagination", and prevent it from being sold off privately

The project has now raised over £2 million, standing at 59% complete with 50 days remaining.

Each donation has its own form of reward, ranging from badges and pins to limited edition prints and private art tours.

If you would like to view the rewards list and donate to the cause, click here.

Scarlett Johansson signed the suit at the BAFTAs. Photo: @thesandypowell [IG]/ David Davenport
Scarlett Johansson signed the suit at the BAFTAs. Photo: @thesandypowell [IG]/ David Davenport

Alternatively, if you would like to bid for the suit, email development@artfund.org.

Rachel Mapplebeck, Director of Communications at Art Fund, said: “Derek Jarman’s former home Prospect Cottage in Dungeness is a work of art in its entirety.

"Over 3,000 people have donated to Art Fund’s appeal to save Prospect Cottage in its first two weeks, but we still have a long way to go to secure its future and we’d encourage everyone to give and get involved.

"International A-list stars and leading artists are supporting this urgent appeal, but its success will help locally by securing Jarman’s artistic legacy in Kent.

"We're looking to bring the renowned garden coaxed from the shingle on the beach back to life, and further enhance the Kentish coast’s reputation as a cultural destination."

Read more: All the latest news from Romney Marsh

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