Diamonds glittered, champagne flowed, and a luxury wine caddy caught the eye of every guest. It was one of those nights when everyone was united by a shared cause, making everything feel effortless. Some evenings deserve to be savored before their stories are told. And the story of Couture for a Cause is one worth telling.
On September 11, 2025, at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City, Precious Achiuwa and Nancy Gale co-hosted Couture for a Cause: a perfectly curated wine tasting and live auction, followed by an intimate dinner. The evening celebrated the launch of their collaborative wine caddy, The Veritas, while benefiting their respective nonprofits, What If Unlimited and AMBITION.
Despite their shared dedication to youth empowerment, on paper, Precious and Nancy couldn’t be more different. He was born in a village in Nigeria; she grew up in Detroit, otherwise known as "The D." He is an NBA star, then with the New York Knicks and now playing for the Sacramento Kings; she founded a ultra-luxury Made in the USA handbag line. But their vastly different backgrounds and notable age gap quickly became meaningless when these two activists were first introduced by mutual friend, Yule Georgieva, COO and General Partner at Symposium Capital.
Yule had a hunch that their shared passion for activism would give the two a foundation for friendship. And she couldn’t have been more correct. Nancy was immediately captivated by Precious’s genuine, humble personality and his sly sense of humor. Beyond his warmth, it was their shared values that drew them together. Through What If Unlimited, Precious is committed to empowering dreams through basketball, art, and education. Through AMBITION, Nancy reframes the potential of disadvantaged youth and provides students with the support, access and resources necessary to reach their goals.
Not only did Precious and Nancy become fast friends and connect over their shared work with teens, but they also found even deeper common ground: a professional collaboration. Precious had long been interested in fashion and wine, and Nancy had already designed a wine caddy in the JAMAH Motorcar Collection. The two collaborated on an exquisite limited-edition wine caddy that encapsulated his passion for wine and her artistic vision.
Their innovative wine caddy made its debut at Couture for a Cause, the party of the Fall 2025 season. That night, guests sampled the splendor of The Only Caviar, bid on exclusive luxury items in a thrilling live auction, and sipped champagne for a chance to win a genuine diamond from Christopher Designs New York.
During the fireside chat, Precious and Nancy explored their shared commitment to access and opportunity. Precious recounted how he relied on his drive and talent to move beyond his village in Nigeria, and how he hopes to give other young people the same ability to understand their place in this vast world. This aligns perfectly with Nancy’s philosophy at AMBITION: access and opportunity empower disadvantaged youth to change their lives.
From there, an exclusive group retired to an intimate multi-course dinner and wine tasting, featuring rare vintages graciously provided by Zachys. When asked which of the wines she would choose for the caddy, Nancy remarked that The 1958 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and 2008 Champagne Dom Perignon were both so special, but there is no ignoring the historical significance of the 1945 Massandra Pink Muscat.
Couture for a Cause owes much of its success to Precious’s team: Talik Fraser, Khayla Dorsey, her amazing mom Felicia, her brother Josh, and Precious’s beautiful now-fiancée, Sarina. His New York Knicks teammates, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, were the perfect hype men. Nancy is also endlessly grateful for her “Fan Club,” the people who showed up to support her as they always do: dear friends Cristina Cheever, Dean and Alana Stott, Kevin Gessay, Richie Mashiko, and of course her loyal husband, Michael.
The evening would not have happened without the support of its amazing sponsors: Baker McKenzie, Citizens Private Bank, Revana, Jackson Family Wines, The Vines of Mendoza, Christopher Designs, The Only Caviar and, Upstate Vodka.
Reflecting on the event, Nancy remarked, “It was one of those nights where everything settled perfectly.” But at the end of the day, she is most struck by how much fun she has had getting to know Precious. Mara Gredick, publisher of Modern Luxury’s Manhattan Magazine, perfectly captured their dynamic when she remarked that Precious and Nancy are the new Snoop and Martha, referencing the famously unlikely friendship between Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart.
So what’s next for the new Snoop and Martha? As they continue advancing the missions of What If Unlimited and AMBITION independently, Precious and Nancy are also focused on their wine caddy collaboration and the possibility of other shared pieces in the future. And of course, they are still basking in the success of Couture for a Cause. There is nothing more satisfying than a group of people uniting around what matters most.
