The ACLU and CFDA will use New York Fashion Week to speak out against hate

By

Emily Jensen

Published
Aug 29, 2017

The American Civil Liberties Union has created a special initiative with the Council of Fashion Designers of America encouraging members of the fashion industry to speak out against hate and bigotry.

 
Designers presenting at New York Fashion Week in September will be asked to show support for the ACLU and to hand out blue ribbons supporting the initiative. So far, various designers such as Diane von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, Prabal Gurung and Tracy Reese have pledged to show support.
 
“We want to be on the front line, not the sidelines, to boldly fight to protect our precious rights and freedoms, which has taken on a renewed urgency after the heart-wrenching events of Charlottesville,” said Steven Kolb, President and CEO of CFDA, in a statement. “Our goal is to actively support concrete work that will move our country meaningfully forward. The ACLU is doing that critical work.”

"We are grateful that the CFDA is willing to use its reach and influence to stand up and protect our civil liberties at this unprecedented time in history,” executive director of the ACLU Anthony D. Romero said of the joint project. “I’ve no doubt that the individual and collective voices of the fashion industry proclaiming ‘We the People’ will resonate far beyond the runway this September.”
 
The ACLU and CFDA have also created the hashtags #StandWithACLU and #FashionforACLU to spread the word about the initiative. During New York Fashion Week, Lyft will also be donating $5 from every ride to the ACLU when users enter the code “FASHIONSTANDS.”