10/09/2020
The power of fashion and women supporting women: Michelle Obama’s Organization “When We All Vote” Launches Its First Merch Drop Today!
Today Mrs. Obama’s nonprofit, nonpartisan organization When We All Vote is dropping its first collection of merch, including clothes, accessories, and beauty and lifestyle products designed by independent, BIPOC-owned, and sustainable labels from across the USA.
It happened on the first night of the Democratic National Convention: Michelle Obama’s “VOTE” necklace went viral. Designed by Chari Cuthbert, who founded her independent L.A.-based label ByChari in 2012, the vote necklace sold out almost instantaneously and since Mrs. Obama’s endorsement the orders haven’t stopped.
Mrs. Obama’s “VOTE” necklace was significant because it was the first viral fashion moment of the pandemic, when fashion sales have decreased significantly and small businesses across the country have been struggling to survive. It was a boost for Cuthbert, but it also signified a new approach to political dressing, one that reaches a younger consumer.
The necklace wasn’t meant as a piece of political merch per se, but Cuthbert’s design is now being positioned as such for an innovative new project. Today Mrs. Obama’s nonprofit, nonpartisan organization There are tie-dyed biker shorts and sports bras from the Black-owned Brooklyn design studio Danzy, custom sticker packets designed by the DC-based Black and Asian artist duo No Kings Collective, and a candle featuring artwork that represents women’s suffrage through a letter from Ida B. Wells, made by Durham-based company Bright Black. The collection also includes sustainably made, gender-neutral tees, shorts, and sweats Repost thanks to 🧵