Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Starting the day after the election and not letting up since, we’ve seen more and more designers and retailers mobilized to give back this holiday shopping season by pledging to donate a portion of sales or proceeds to a cause they believe in (or in some cases, causes you believe in).
This weekend, a bunch of labels we love signed on to support the Women’s March on Washington, which is happening January 21st, 2017, by donating a percentage of sales to Gathering for Justice, the organization behind the march.
We got an email yesterday from Julie of Electric Feathers, a boutique in Williamsburg, letting us know about the efforts and listing the many designers and boutiques that are participating — many of them woman-led — including Aurora James, Ace & Jig, Clare Vivier, Erica Weiner, Erin Considine, Electric Feathers, Fay Andrada, Lulu Frost, Lizzie Fortunato, Maiyet, Mara Hoffman, Melissa Joy Manning, Pamela Love, Rachel Antonoff, Robin Mollicone, and Ulla Johnson.
Wanting to hear from the designers directly, we reached out to them with a few questions. Aurora James, the woman behind cool New York-based shoe label Brother Vellies, summed it up pretty nicely. Here’s what she had to say:
Why do you think it’s important to support the Women's March on Washington?
Aurora James: I mean, the obvious answer to this is to say that “women's rights are human rights.” Which is true. But I think digging a little deeper for me, personally, it's to stand up for the women and kids out there who may be victims of sexual assault to say we hear you. You have a voice. We will not let your voice be discounted and we are here to stand up for you. We need to scream this message into existence until America becomes an echo chamber for unity.
Whose idea was it? Who else is participating?
It was Donald Trump’s idea to create a divisive situation that would lead us to have no choice other than to stand up and march. But if you're asking whose idea it was to give money to Women's March this weekend, it was Sara Sophie Flicker's. She's usually the one with all of the good ideas.
What percentage of sales (or proceeds) will you be donating?
I actually don't want to navigate the legal and marketing jargon of '“sales“ versus “proceeds.” So I will say this to you in hopes of being as transparent as possible: We will give 100 percent of our in-store sales to the Women's March this weekend.
Do you plan to attend the march?
No, I'm going to the spa that day. OF COURSE I AM, GIRL! And so are you! ;) Our office and store will be closed. We are all going. Bring your mom, it might mean more to her than you know.
For more information on the level of each designer’s participation, contact the store or label directly. For more information on the Women’s March on Washington, see Vox’s explainer or visit the Women’s March Facebook page.
You can donate directly to the Women’s March on Washington here.