Luxury fashion retailer Matches Fashion has joined forces with Italian fragrance house Acqua di Parma to support Father & Son Day, a charitable campaign aimed to encourage men to talk more openly about health issues.

The auction includes a curated selection of luxury items and unique experiences from high-calibre brands, including a private shopping experience at Matches Fashion’s 5 Carlos Place store, four nights at an Abercrombie & Kent safari lodge in Africa, a signed Terry O’Neil print donated by Leica, and a bespoke Globe-Trotter suitcase. Beyond that, there is a special edition Breitling Superocean 44 UK watch, martinis and dinner at The Connaught hotel in Mayfair, and much more to get excited about.

The proceeds from the auction will be donated to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which fundraises for The Royal Marsden, a specialist cancer treatment hospital in London. After helping to support a robotic surgery programme at the hospital, this year’s Father&Son focus is on the physical and mental wellbeing of cancer patients at The Royal Marsden.

Founded in 2014 by Daniel Marks and Jack Dyson, the initiative is inspired by the duo’s touching personal experiences of both themselves and their fathers suffering from testicular cancer. The co-founders felt an urgency to open up conversations – for too long considered uncomfortable – to inspire people to seek help when needed. As well, they wanted to support those who provide care, funding a variety of roles at The Royal Marsden hospital, such as psychological support services, dietetics and physiotherapy teams.

The auction – at ww2.emma-live.com/FatherAndSonDay2022 – goes live on 8 June and will run until 30 June. Who is ready to place the highest bid?

royalmarsden.org/difference-you-make/father-son