Red ribbon history
Who created the red ribbon?
The red ribbon has been an international symbol of AIDS awareness since 1991. The Red Ribbon Project was created by the New York based organisation Visual AIDS, which brought together artists to create a symbol of support for the growing number of people living with HIV in the US.

What does it symbolise?
The red ribbon is worn as a sign of support for people living with HIV. Wearing a red ribbon is a simple and powerful way to challenge the stigma and prejudice surrounding HIV and AIDS that prevents us from tackling the global epidemic.

Who owns the red ribbon?
The red ribbon is the result of collaboration between community artists who wanted to create a non-copyrighted image that could be used as an awareness-raising tool by people across the world.

When did the red ribbon go international?
The first international celebrity to wear a red ribbon was Jeremy Irons at the 1991 Tony Awards. The symbol came to Europe on a mass scale on Easter Monday in 1992, when more than 100,000 red ribbons were distributed during the Freddie Mercury AIDS Awareness Tribute Concert at Wembley stadium. More than 1 billion people in more than 70 countries worldwide watched the show on television. Throughout the nineties many celebrites wore red ribbons, encouraged by Princess Diana’s high profile support for AIDS.