MGMT ANNOUNCED TO PERFORM AT
2nd ANNUAL BILLABONG DESIGN FOR HUMANITY EVENT
HOLLYWOOD’S HOTTEST NIGHT IN FASHION, MUSIC AND ART TO BENEFIT THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION


Irvine, CA – (May 19, 2008) — Billabong USA has announced that electro-pop superstars MGMT will perform live at the 2nd Annual Design For Humanity event taking place June 4, 2008 at Hollywood hotspot Avalon/Spider Club. Design for Humanity, Billabong’s charitable division, will benefit The Surfrider Foundation, an organization which strives to preserve our World’s oceans and beaches. 100% of ticket sale proceeds will go the The Surfrider Foundation.

Billabong’s 2nd Annual Design for Humanity event promises to be an unforgettable night of art, fashion and music, including a spectacular runway fashion show featuring one-of-a-kind celebrity designs, a photography and art exhibit and auction, a special live performance by MGMT, sounds by DJ Steve Aoki, and much more.

“This event is a labor of love for our Brand,” says Candy Harris, Women’s Brand Director at Billabong. “It's an opportunity for us to celebrate fashion, music and art all the while giving back to an organization that preserves our way of life.”

“This is an incredible melding of music, art, fashion and social responsibility,” says Surfrider Foundation CEO, Jim Moriarty. “We are honored to be named as beneficiaries for this year’s Billabong Design for Humanity event”

Design for Humanity will feature a full-scale runway show, where Billabong fashion and swimsuit pieces will be showcased on the catwalk, with one-of-a-kind collaborations from celebrities like Amber Valetta, Joy Bryant, and Charlotte Ronson. Pieces from this rare collection will be auctioned off on eBay, with all proceeds going directly to the charity.

Billabong’s collaborations with LA industry icons Lisa Kline and Jenny Han, who have created signature limited edition swimsuits for Cruise 2009, will be also be featured in the show.  These pieces will be available at retailers nationwide.  In addition to the celebrity and designer collections, exclusive t-shirts for Urban Outfitters designed by cultural icon Cory Kennedy will be available with proceeds from all collections benefiting The Surfrider Foundation.

        

Before the fashion show begins, guests can head to the Avalon’s Spider Club, for the art exhibit and auction which will feature works by well-known industry artists, like Wolfgang Bloch and Chris Jordan, as well as world-renowned surf photographers.  Each piece will be auctioned off on eBay and bidding will begin the evening of the event. Three limited-edition posters will also be available for sale at the event and online.  

        

After the fashion show, the party begins with a rock concert by music sensations and fan-favorites MGMT, and DJ sounds by Steve Aoki, one of LA and NY’s hottest and most in-demand DJ’s. MGMT has quickly climbed the charts and is one of the most unique and celebrated sounds on the indie music scene today.

More information and tickets:
8pm             doors open
9:30pm          Fashion Show
10:00pm                MGMT performs
11pm            DJ Steve Aoki
Tickets can be purchased for $30 (General Admission) and $150 (VIP) at www.designforhumanity.com <http://www.designforhumanity.com>


ABOUT BILLABONG

Billabong produces active lifestyle, fashion-forward clothing, accessories and related products designed and distributed to a worldwide customer base. The products are developed in the authentic environment of the surf culture and sold primarily through surf and specialty retail boutiques. Billabong-branded products are tested and improved by the best board sport performers across the globe. Active enthusiasts in every department from marketing and sales, to design and merchandising, bring an unmatched authenticity and unique quality to both the innovative products and related events produced by the Billabong brand.

ABOUT DESIGN FOR HUMANITY

Design for Humanity is Billabong’s charitable division that seeks to generate funds from the sale of limited edition product to donate to environmental and humanitarian causes. DFH was created to allow Billabong the opportunity to best utilize our resources to empower, encourage, and promote awareness of various charities amongst the youth market and industry at large.

ABOUT THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education.  Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.  For more information visit www.surfrider.org

ABOUT MGMT

40 years after The Summer of Love (and 30 years after The Summer of Hate), MGMT is celebrating the grand re-opening of the third eye of the world with Oracular Spectacular, the duo's much-anticipated first full-length album, an enigmatic and prophetic collection of hallucinatory sounds and hook-riddled pop tones for the new millennium. MGMT is: Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, two psychic pilgrims whose paths first intersected in the green pastures of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, circa 2002.   Following a brief hiatus from MGMT, Ben and Andrew reconnoitered in Brooklyn and began recording new songs for the sheer fun of it on an "Mbox computer set-up." Those humble home sessions -- at once Apollonian and Dionysian -- lay the groundwork for what would become Oracular Spectacular. In 20 years, people will listen to these 30th generation MP3s and say, 'I love that sound!'" MGMT invites you to open your mind to the multi-dimensional vibrating Technicolor.