Brands and fashion designers have a responsibility to act with societal and environmental issues in mind. After all, giving back to society helps make the world a better and safer place for future generations to enjoy. Whether it’s campaigning to end world hunger, raising money for vulnerable people or designing ethical materials, brands have been working hard to make a difference – but what causes have our favourite fashion designers been supporting?
Here, we take a look at how fashion labels have been making a difference on a global scale.
1. Lacoste: Saving endangered animals
In 2018, Lacoste made a promise to help endangered animals across the globe with the Save Our Species campaign. As part of this, they replaced their classic crocodile logo with images of endangered species on their classic polo shirts. The campaign was started to mark a three-year partnership between Lacoste and the International Union for Conservation of Nature — whose mission it is to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature.
But how did the brand select which animals would be featured? The animals that were selected for the campaign were carefully chosen from 10 of the most threatened species on the planet; the Vaquita, Burmese Turtle, Northern Sportive Lemur, Javan Rhino, Kakapo, Cao-vit Gibbon, California Condor, Saola, Sumatran Tiger and the Anegada Ground Iguana. The limited-edition shirts were unveiled at Paris Fashion Week and sold out almost instantly. The money from the shirts was donated towards the fight for wildlife conservation worldwide.
2. Michael Kors: Campaigning to end world hunger
Back in 2013, Michael Kors began the Watch Hunger Stop campaign to make a stand against world hunger. According to the Michael Kors website, they’ve helped the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) deliver 15 million meals to children in need.
The brand selected actress Kate Hudson as the ambassador for the campaign and she travelled to Cambodia to help support disadvantaged children. There are many ways that people can donate — through the purchase of a timepiece, a Snapchat using a store geofilter or through posting a photo wearing a Watch Hunger Stop T-shirt. Each action donates a certain amount of money and corresponding meals to children in need — the programme supports 16 million children over 70 different countries.
3. Charles Tyrwhitt: Fundraising for The Prince’s Trust
This Prince’s Trust is a charity in the United Kingdom, founded in 1976 by Charles, Prince of Wales. Men’s suit specialists Charles Tyrwhitt have worked with the charity for several years. It focuses on helping vulnerable people get their lives back on track and find work. The brand released a special collection of scarves, ties, umbrellas and of course their iconic shirts — all dedicated to raising funds for the charity. Where each item in the collection is sold, £5 is donated to The Prince’s Trust.
The brand have organised a number of activities to raise funds for the charity. In fact, business founder, Nick Wheeler, raised over 100,000 when he completed an 874-mile bike ride from Land’s End to John O’ Groats in the UK. And, members of the company attend and recruit individuals through The Prince’s Trust ‘Get Hired’ Days. This is where young people who have been through The Trust’s programmes have found themselves ready to move into work and are actively looking for work.
4. Stella McCartney: Sustainable fashion designs
Stella McCartney has been working to develop eco-friendly clothing and sustainable fashion. Using the latest in eco-friendly technology, she changes attitudes to sustainable fashion and demonstrates how eco-fashion can be done.
The brand uses innovative methods to design brand new materials, rather than using fur or leather. Take her latest swimwear range for example, in partnership with Adidas. The swimsuits are made from Lycra Xtra Lite fabric, which is resistant to chlorine and uses recycled Parley Ocean Plastic yarn. Stella announced her partnership with Colorifix in April 2018, she is working closely with them to reduce the environmental impact of the dyeing process. They do this through isolating the DNA that creates colour in nature and uses 10 times less water than the traditional process.
5. Gucci: Campaigning for stricter gun control
Gucci was all over the news in 2018 when they donated half a million dollars to support stricter gun control laws. The brand announced that it would do so following a tragic school shooting in February last year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It’s possible that Gucci’s generous donation was motivated by the death of Gucci salesman, Javier Jorge-Reyes, and injury of Gucci store manager, Leonel Melendez Jr — both caused by gun violence.
Talking about the March For Our Lives campaign, a statement for Gucci said: “We stand with March For Our Lives and the fearless students across the country who demand that their lives and safety become a priority. We have all been directly or indirectly impacted by these senseless tragedies, and Gucci is proud to join this movement with a donation of $500,000.”
