According to The Guardian, in the six weeks following Election Day, Planned Parenthood received 40 times its usual number of donations (with over 300,000 individual contributions made). Still, if the Republicans’ bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act becomes law, the organization stands to lose a staggering 40 percent of its funding. Should that occur, the millions of women, men and young people who rely on Planned Parenthood for basic health care will be left without affordable resources. The new reconciliation bill could pass as early as this month. Given the timing of these events, the Council of Fashion Designers of America is using the wide-reaching platform of New York Fashion Week (which kicks off this Thursday) to take a stand.
Today, the CFDA announced its Fashion Stands With Planned Parenthood campaign. In order to raise awareness (and, in turn, funds) for the healthcare entity, the CFDA has created and distributed bright-pink pins, designed by the Condé Nast Creative Group, to its members and supporters (designers, PR and modeling agencies, influencers, press). The idea is that models will wear the pins on the runway, designers as they take their bows, front-row attendees as they pose for photo-ops.
CFDA board member Tracy Reese, known for her inclusive runway shows, is helming the initiative. Thus far, over 40 designers have agreed to participate, including Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Cushnie et Ochs, Public School, Jonathan Simkhai, Kate Spade New York, Rosetta Getty, Proenza Schouler, Mara Hoffman, Narciso Rodriguez, Milly, Prabal Gurung, Tory Burch and Zac Posen.
An information card that lists Planned Parenthood’s services, as well as the actions people can take to get involved, will accompany each pin. (The most effortless of these actions being to take a pic of themselves wearing the pin and post it to social media using the hashtag #IStandwithPP, helping said hashtag go viral.)
“We know that so many people stand with Planned Parenthood — including designers and entertainers — because they and their loved ones have relied on Planned Parenthood for health care, including life-saving care like cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment and sex education,” Reese told WWD. “Planned Parenthood is often the only option for this type of care in underserved communities. By creating a visually engaging and fashionable pin, we hope to create an organic social media movement promoting awareness and education.”
[ via WWD ]
