3 minute read
Dressing for democracy
HOW VOTING MERCH IS MAKING ITS WAY BACK FOR THE 2020 ELECTION
By Corbin Woessner, Fashion Editor Photographed by Jessica Tenenbaum
The 2020 general election has the possibility of yielding the highest youth voter turnout we’ve ever seen.1 In an effort to encourage voter registration among 18-24 year olds, many companies have used merchandise and voting campaigns as a way to mobilize the next generation of voters. If you haven’t yet already, Wisconsinites can register to vote at their polling place on Election Day, November 3, 2020. Check your registration status and polling place at https:// myvote.wi.gov/. Here are some brands that are encouraging people to vote this November while also making voting stylish.
Michael Kors
This year, Michael Kors launched the Your Voice Matters campaign. As a key aspect of the campaign, Kors released a Michael Kors Collection cashmere sweater which retails for $850, and MICHAEL Michael Kors cotton t-shirt retailing for $40. The collection’s items are adorned with the words “VOTE” and “YOUR VOICE MATTERS”, a reminder for Americans to register and exercise their right to vote.2
To produce the t-shirts, Kors partnered with Black-owned business FKSP, operated by African American fashion designer Folake Kuye Huntoon. The t-shirts were produced at the FKSP factory in the Los Angeles fashion district, where Folake produces all of her designs.3 The garments are exclusive to the U.S. market and aim to reinforce the campaign’s central message: No matter who you are, your vote can make a difference. All of the proceeds made from the two garments go towards the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.4
Brothers Vellies
Another brand that has taken political activism to the streets is sustainable luxury footwear label Brothers Vellies. The brand aims to keep traditional African design practices
1 Sprunt, Barbara. “Will 2020 Be The Year Of The Young Voter?” NPR. 2 Rikhy, “These Fashion Brands Are Making Voting Stylish,” V Magazine, 2020. 3 Lockwood, “Michael Kors Unfurls Your Voice Matters Campaign,” WWD, 2020. 4 Ibid. and techniques alive by giving back to their roots. Artisans across Africa work on the brand’s designs, each shoe representing a love letter to the villages and towns where they’re produced.5 This year, Michelle Obama’s non-profit, nonpartisan organization When We All Vote has partnered with Brother Vellies to release a pair of sneakers with Keds. The organization aims to close the race and age voting gap in the United States. Each of the When We All Vote x Brother Vellies Canvassing Sneakers includes handwritten phrases from the Creative Director Aurora James. Additionally, each shoe is decorated with a Kenyan hand-carved wooden sneaker charm. If you’re looking for the perfect socks to pair with your sneakers, Brother Vellies has vote-inspired crew socks to fit your needs.6 The company has pledged to donate 100 percent of their sneaker proceeds to When We Will Vote.
La Ligne
Women-owned fashion brand La Ligne and author/activist Cleo Wade teamed up for their second collaboration to release a limited edition “VOTE” collection. The brand’s collections always reflect the founders’ belief that “the best things in fashion (and life) are universal, timeless and classic, but never off limits for reinvention.” La Ligne and Wade accomplished just that, as their collection includes cloth face masks and a t-shirt featuring the phrase “F*cking Vote,” accompanied by Wade’s signature heart illustration.7 These special tees are embroidered with Cleo’s iconic handwriting, urging people to exercise for their right to vote.
Wade states, “We gotta vote. And we gotta make sure that every single person who can vote has access to do so. Our leadership is up to us. We decide if we vote for our past or vote for our future.”
All of the profits from masks and tees will be donated to Fair Fight, a national voting rights organization founded by American politician and Madison, Wisconsin native Stacey Abrams.8■
5 Klerk, “10 black-owned fashion brands to support and invest in,” Harper’s Bazaar, 2020. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid.
