Let’s rewind back to 2013: low-waisted skinny jeans were in, a pair of white Converse was a staple, and cropped tops were becoming a trend. Little did our Tumblr-girl-wannabe selves know, Gucci launched Chime for Change, a worldwide campaign in support of women and education, during the same year. Oh, and the two queens of all things girl power Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Salma Hayek Pinault, serve as the co-founders. The campaign has been teaming up with other groups to connect and fortify the women by finding unconventional strategies to foster gender equality. In 2015, Chime for Change announced its partnership with Global Citizen to get the public involved.
For the past six years since its launch, the campaign has funded over 425 non-profit projects all over the world. Chime’s publication indicated that the projects “directly [benefitted] 570,000 girls and women globally and [reached] more than 3 million family and community members.” In the midst of Princetown leather slippers and GG Marmont shoulder bags, every customer is giving their money to the right company. And, listen, Gucci is just getting started. The fashion pioneer, as part of “To Gather Together,” dropped six projects: Equality Now, Global Fund for Women, Ms. Foundation for Women, UN Women, Vital Voices, and Women Deliver. TBH, we can’t help but stan Gucci for its efforts to shine on nonstop female empowerment.
The project includes is mural of genderless people censored by equal signs to exhibit nondiscrimination. MP5, an Italian street artist, and Alessandro Michelle, creative director of Gucci, joined forces to bring the art piece to life in London, Milan, New York, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Going hand in hand with the mural, a short film called “The Future is Fluid“ dropped recently, and it’s one you won’t want to miss.
If you head over to Chime for Change page for its zine, you’ll find a downloadable PDF of the campaign’s digital magazine, which consists of stories and artworks by advocates of gender equality.
2019 is only in its second month, but Gucci is already killing the game and continuing to raise awareness to one of the most important social issues to date. TBH, the future looks pretty bright for the conjoining worlds of fashion and social justice. You go, Gucci.