March on Washington unites brands for charity

Apparel and accessory brands across the country have announced they are donating a portion of their sales to various women's and environmental causes to express their support for the planned Women's March on Washington D.C., scheduled for this Saturday.

The march on the mall in the U.S. capitol, with parallel events taking place across the country and internationally, has been organized the day after the presidential inauguration to express concern about the election of Donald Trump and what his presidency could mean for progressive causes and women's rights.

Designer Rachel Comey, who will be leaving her male employees to run the stores while her female employees walk in the Women's March, will donate 50% of sales towards Planned Parenthood. Comey announced these plans in an open letter to the CFDA, stating "This is an opportunity for us, the fashion industry, to show that we stand in solidarity with the women who make up the majority of our customers—and the majority of our workforce. Women's rights are human rights.”

Accessories label Brother Vellies, who employ female artisans in Africa (and pay them a fair living wage), designed a three-piece knitwear collection with designers Ryan Roche and Hugo McCloud. All sales from the collection (that sits at $85 for a beanie to $1095 for a sweater), will go towards the Women's March.

With the promotional code WEMARCH, consumers can shop sitewide all weekend with a 10% discount, with 10% of sales donated to the Women's March organization. Maiyet, Pamela Love, Lulu Frost, Lizzie Fortunato, Rachel Antanoff, Ace & Jig, and more will be donating a portion of sales towards Gathering for Justice, the main force behind Saturday’s march.

There are a number of brands that have opted to not go the donation route, and instead show their support for the march by heading to Washington to join the march. Opening Ceremony, Clare V, Pamela Love, Rebecca Taylor, and Ulla Johnson will all join the event in Washington.

Also part of the philanthropic landscape is niche sunglasses label Sunski, which announced that it will be donating 100% of sales made on Inauguration Day to the charity 1% for the planet.

Such initiatives hark back to the election cycle itself last November when a number of retailers and brands concerned about the environment and other issues either closed or gave their employees time off to vote. Patagonia, long known for its environmental activism, made fashion headlines with various efforts, also donating its sales on Black Friday to environmental non-profits.

March on Washington unites brands for charity

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