What fashion brands are doing in honor of international women’s day

Several fashion brands have launched special collections and campaigns in honor of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated this Friday, March 8. It’s becoming more and more common for companies to do something around this date, as an increasing number of consumers base shopping decisions on brands’ stance on gender equality issues. Here is an overview of what prominent fashion brands are doing this year:

Net-a-Porter invites female designers to create T-shirt capsule

Luxury marketplace Net-a-Porter is helping non-profit organization Women for Women International for the second consecutive year. The company invited six female fashion designers -- including Victoria Beckham, Alexa Chung and Isabel Marant -- to design T-shirts with empowering messages such as “I am her” and “You go, girl”. All proceeds will be donated to the organization.

Express teams up with All Womxn Project

American apparel brand Express is following a similar strategy, having launched a 21-piece T-shirt collection titled "Women Together" on Monday. Clémentine Desseaux and Charli Howard, founders of All Womxn Project, a non-profit collective providing education, support and resources for girls and women around the globe, were chosen as the campaign’s ambassadors. Express has donated 50,000 US dollars to the organization.

Coco de Mer teams up with Waris Dirie against female genital mutilation

British lingerie label Coco de Mer has teamed up with Waris Dirie, the Somali model who fled the country aged 13 to escape an arranged marriage. Dirie was subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) when she was 5 years old and has used her fame to campaign against the practice. An estimated 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, with over 3 million girls at risk of undergoing it soon, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The duo has released a film directed by renowned fashion photographer Rankin to raise awareness about the issue. Viewers are invited to sign a petition to eradicate FGM, to be presented to the UN Secretary General. In addition, a percentage of the sales proceeds from Coco de Mer’s Icons collection will be donated to Waris’ foundation, The Desert Flower.

Coco de Mer x Desert Flower Foundation : The Fight Against FGM from Bronte Ward on Vimeo.

Banana Republic introduces Equality Collection

Banana Republic launched its first capsule in honor of international women’s day this year. Titled “Equality Collection”, it offers T-shirts and accessories ranging in price from 18 to 35 US dollars. A portion of the retail costs will be donated to non-profit organization CARE, which promotes the advancement of women and girls worldwide. Last month, Banana Republic introduced an accessory called the "Dissent Collar" to pay tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court. Half of the product's purchase price supports the ACLU Women’s Rights Project.

Burberry donates work wardrobe to women in need

British luxury label Burberry has been working with UK charity Smart Works since 2013, donating clothes and accessories to the service the organization provides to women in need who are looking for a job. This year, in honor of International Women’s Day, the brand has hosted a dressing session in its flagship store in London, curating Burberry capsule work wardrobes for seven women helped by Smart Works. The advertising campaign features photographs of the seven women, shot by renowned photographer Esther Theaker.

Forever 21 supports Girls Inc. with capsule collection

Fast fashion retailer Forever 21 is also using a special capsule collection to give a helping hand to a non-profit organization promoting gender equality. The company will donate 1 US dollar for each item sold to Girls Inc., with a minimum donation of 50,000 US dollars. The advertising campaign features 10 young female artists, including singer Yumi and latin pop sensation Natti Natasha.

Madewell supports Girls Inc too

Forever 21 is not the only brand supporting Girls Inc. Madewell has also partnered up with the organization for a collection featuring a T-shirt, sweater, tote bag, pouch wallet and other items carrying the venus symbol, all priced from 10 US dollars to 59.90 US dollars. 50 percent of the retail price goes to support the organization’s mission of empowering young women through advocacy and education.

Good American launches empowering T-shirts

Good American has launched a collection of limited-edition T-shirts saying "Women Empower Women", "Worthy, Worthy, Worthy" and "Self Made". The brand is a long time collaborator of Step Up, an organization aiming to propel girls from under-resourced communities to fulfill their potential. Good American donates to Step Up with every product sold since 2016.

Stone and Strand redefines the phrase “good girl”

American jewelry retailer Stone and Strand is proposing to redefine what “good girl” means. “We’re not here to smile on cue, wait our turn and play by the rules. Welcome to a new generation of Good Girls who are doing what’s right for themselves and not afraid to do things their own way”, said the brand in a statement. New items have been launched to its “Good Girl” collection in honor of International Women’s Day, with 10 percent of proceeds going to The Malala Fund, the non-profit organization fighting for girl’s education, founded by Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

Zadig & Voltaire stands for Planned Parenthood

French brand Zadig & Voltaire is supporting American reproductive healthcare organization Planned Parenthood. The brand hosted a party in its New York flagship on Thursday, where a limited-edition tote bag bearing the words “Girls Can Do Anything” was sold. 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

H&M donates 200,000 USD to Girl Up

Fast fashion giant H&M has announced a donation of 200,000 US dollars to Girl UP, the organization founded by the United Nations Foundation to give young girls resources to start a movement for social change using leadership development training. H&M customers in the United States are also invited to donate to Girl Up in H&M stores.

Picture: courtesy of Express; courtesy of Net-a-Porter; courtesy of Express; courtesy Coco de Mer; courtesy of Banana Republic; courtesy of Burberry; courtesy of Stone and Strand