DUBAI: This week, US-Somali model Halima Aden called on the fashion community on Instagram to take part in a virtual fashion challenge. The task at hand? To show off their best runway walk wearing their most fabulous outfits in an effort to support Vogue’s Fashion Fund and the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA) joint coronavirus relief effort, “A Common Thread.” The fundraising initiative highlights the struggles and hopes of the fashion community amid the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m joining @nyfw and @imgmodels to support #CVFFACommonThread: #RunwayForRelief, which raises awareness and funds for the American fashion community impacted by COVID-19,” wrote the hijab-wearing model on her Instagram Stories, alongside a clip of herself fiercely strutting down a long corridor, which acted as a makeshift catwalk, wearing floral-printed gown. She then asked her followers to spread the word by posting a video of their best runway walk and tag three people to participate. The 22-year-old also included a swipe up link to A Common Thread’s online donation page, before nominating British model Iskra Lawrence, Libyan-American journalist Noor Tagouri and American actress Larsen Thompson to step up and take part. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, now a pandemic, was first declared in December, Aden has been doing her part to help raise awareness online. At the end of March, she teamed up with UNICEF on a project that will help educate children who had their schooling interrupted due to the crisis via educational at-home videos. For Aden, this meant posting a clip to teach kids how to sing her favorite song with her. “I want to teach you something new, like my favorite song ‘Jambo’,” said the model from her kitchen in Minnesota. “It’s a song that brought community together. It’s the first song that I learned when I was seven living in Kenya. ‘Jambo’ is a very popular ‘welcome to our country’ song for our guests,” she explained. Indeed, there has been a flurry of Instagram challenges cropping up on social media feeds over the past few weeks. Celebrities and models have been making the most of the extended pause in their busy schedules by throwing themselves into an array of light-hearted and charitable challenges in a mission to add a little fun to Instagram feeds while also raising funds for those who need it most.