IN an interview, maverick French designer Yves Saint Laurent had once regretfully confessed that he had not invented blue jeans. "They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity," he had said. As the garment graduated from workwear to high street, denim also came to represent a counter-culture in the 1960s among American youth, who opted to wear jeans to illustrate their solidarity with the working classes.

Cut to the present, artist, designer and musician Johny Dar is harnessing denim's popularity to draw attention to a deepening humanitarian crisis: the refugees. His initiative, Jeans for Refugees (JFR), is a charity drive that raises funds for the International Rescue Committee. His roster of donors is nothing less than an Oscar invitee list. Singer Elton John and supermodel Karlie Kloss to former French first lady Carla Bruni and Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the ruler of Sharjah, have all donated their jeans. "It is an item of clothing that a majority of humanity can relate to," he says in an interview to this writer. "Most people own a pair of jeans. Denim is worn by the rich and the poor, young and old, celebrity and refugee. It's a leveller this way."