The charitable initiatives and capsule collections giving back this IWD to support and empower young girls and women.
Monday 8th March marks International Women's Day. You'll have likely heard friends discussing it or already spotted a charitable tee or two on your Instagram feed.
International Women’s Day is always a significant date within team Marie Claire's diary, as it provides such a great opportunity to champion the achievements of women around the world, as well as highlighting what desperately still needs to be done in the ongoing fight for women’s rights and equality for all women.
From logo tees to gin and sunglasses there's some great way to support your sisterhood and incredible female-focussed charities like, Women for Women International, Caïo, Rosa and Bloody Good Period this month.
As the International Women's Day charity proudly denotes, 'an equal world is an enabled world.' With so many of the team's favourite brands celebrating women and raising awareness of gender bias we've compiled the edit of the best charitable initiatives and capsule collections that are giving back to organisations which support and empower women this year.
SHOP THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY EDIT:
The brand: Roxanne Assoulin, trio of enamel and gold bracelets, £300 The IWD campaign: New York-based Roxanne Assoulin's playful bracelets are a firm favourite of our Editor's. This beaded trio is strung together with hearts and the words 'kind' and 'woman.' Exclusive to Net-a-Porter, mix up how you wear yours to switch up how the phrase reads or, gift two of the three to inspiring women in your life. The donation: 100% of the profits go to Women for Women International (UK) who help women survivors of war to rebuild their lives.
The brand: Anissa Kermiche, 'Titty Committee' jugs, £110 The IWD campaign: Inspired by the strong women in her life Anissa Kermiche's instantly recognisable sculptures highlight the female form. Crafted from glossy earthenware this pair of linked 'Titty Committee' jugs are playfully cast in the shape of a bust. Ideal for filling with dried wildflowers or, a few sprigs of eucalyptus position yours on your mantlepiece or dresser. The donation: 100% of the profits go to Women for Women International (UK) who help women survivors of war to rebuild their lives.
The brand: V by Laura Vann The IWD campaign: Jeweller V by Laura Vann are donating 5% of all their online sales to The Fawcett Society - he UK’s leading charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights. Laura shared "now more than ever it's important to progress the fight for women's rights. The pandemic has accelerated gender inequality and in doing so has exposed the broken system we live in. With more eyes on the government to reform the system we hope our contribution will go some way to fight with the Fawcett Society for women's rights across the country." The donation: 5% of all sales for the month of March go to The Fawcett Society
The brand: Dai The IWD campaign: Sustainable performance wear brand, Dai (run by a powerhouse of women) understands the difficulties women from all walks of life have faced over these past 12 months. So, to celebrate all the amazing things women have achieved in and out of the workplace, Dai have set up the Trailblazer Awards to inspire women to share their stories and win some highly sought-after prizes. The brand also donate £10 from every order to SmartWorks, supporting women by providing high quality interview clothes and interview training to unemployed women in need. The donation: Alongside donating £10 per order for the month of March. Dai is giving away a £50 Dai gift card, a selection of NIO cocktails and lots of extras to ALL of the incredible women, who share their own story or nominated a friend/colleague in their Trailblazer Awards.
The brand: Mango The IWD campaign: Mango have collaborated with Mexican artist Ana Leovy to create a capsule collection of joyful tees and totes. Adorned with Ana's vibrant illustrations and made using sustainable materials. The donation: 100% profits will be donated to the Vicente Ferrer Foundation (VFF), an incentive that promotes gender equality projects in southern India.
The brand: DKNYThe IWD campaign: In honour of International Women's Day, from 3rd-8th March, DKNY are sharing inspiring young female business owners that are building their dreams, no matter what the world is throwing at them on their Instagram channel. Women including Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton (founder and CEO of Chillihouse) and Elyse Fox (film maker and founder of Sad Girls Club). To support the community, DKNY is also partnering with Women In Need @WinNYC_Org, a New York-based organisation that provides safe housing, critical services and groundbreaking programs to help homeless women and children. The donation: Between the 3rd and 8th of March, 100% of all net sales on DKNY.com will be donated to Women In Need.
The brand: Sézane The IWD campaign: Available to shop from the 8th March, Sézane's limited edition slogan tee adorned with 'la femme' is a playful way to stand in solidarity. The donation: 100% of proceeds will go to Girls Inc. Inspiring and supporting all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
The brand: Missoma The IWD campaign: Say hello to #ChangeAGirlsLife Missoma's partnership with The Prince’s Trust. For six weeks from March 2nd Missoma will be donating 50% from each sale of their 'Pendants of Power' collection. The donation: 50% from all 'Pendants of Power' sales will go to The Prince’s Trust Women Supporting Women initiative to #ChangeAGirlsLife by nurturing, empowering and inspiring young women to build their own futures through employment, self-employment, education or training.
The brand: QUAY The IWD campaign: QUAY have teamed up with supermodel Ashley Graham for their #CHOOSETOCHALLENGE - a partnership that challenges the way things have always looked by advocating for inclusivity and representation in fashion, invoking confidence in their communities, and envisioning a brighter future for the next generation of women. The donation: Quay donated to three non-profit social enterprises including, Girls Out Loud inspiring teenage girls in the UK and beyond to have confidence, self-belief, emotional resilience and a positive self-image. Rev’elles (in France) and Girls Inc (in the USA).
The brand: The Clear Cut The IWD campaign: Founder of New York-based fine jewellery brand The Clear Cut, Olivia Landau, has launched a scholarship program to sponsor one BIPOC woman’s tuition for The Graduate Diamonds Program at GIA, with a guaranteed 6-month paid internship and then an opportunity to join The Clear Cut and be matched with a mentor. The donation: Shop the labels Spark Pendant during the month of March with 50% of profits will go towards The Clear Cut Scholarship Fund.
The brand: ANINE BING The IWD campaign: To celebrate International Women's Day ANINE BING has collaborated with Dress for Success with their 'Your Hour, Her Power' campaign. Running through the whole month of March to promote female empowerment, diversity, equity and inclusion. The donation: ANINE BING are donating one hour of pay for all of their global staff to Dress for Success and are encouraging people to do the same. Donating one hour of pay to support the financial independence of underserved women.
The brand: Secondi The IWD campaign: From the 4th-11th March one of our favourite second hand businesses is donating 10% of all sales to The Malala Fund. So, when you shop not only are you supporting a small female run business but you're shopping sustainably by giving second hand a second life. The donation: 10% of all sales will be donated to The Malala Fund. Which invests in education activists and advocates driving solutions to barriers to girls’ education in their communities.
The brand: MonkiThe IWD campaign: Since 2006, female empowerment has been a driving force of Monki so when the UN says “… the global gender gap will not close for another 100 years.” Monki said, “we won’t wait!” Collaborating with charity PLAN International to create two playful logo sweaters. Monki have also teamed up with Polyester Zine, creating three additional episodes to the Skin You’re In series with India Ysabel, Sonya Barlow and Honey Ross to share their activism tools boxes. The donation: Monki has collaborated with the brand’s long term partner, PLAN International, to create two exclusive sweaters. 20 % of the proceeds will be donated the #GirlsGetEqual cause.
The brand: Blondie's Kitchen The IWD campaign: From March 1st-8th our favourite Cookie bar, Blondie's will be donating 25% of all sales of its iconic White Choc Chunk Ready To Bake Cookie Dough Roll to The Prince’s Trust’s Women Supporting Women initiative. As a female-founded business, set up two professionally trained chefs and best friends on a mission to bring the taste of America back to London in the form of the UK’s first and only milk and cookies bar, Blondies Kitchen recognises the importance of supporting and harnessing young women with the skills needed to succeed. The donation: 25% of all sales of Blondie's White Choc Chunk Ready To Bake Cookie Dough Roll will go to The Prince’s Trust’s Women Supporting Women initiative.
The brand: Flower by Edie Parker The IWD campaign: In Flower’s unapologetically bold manner, the brand has teamed up with the Women’s Prison Association to design a limited-time collection for International Women’s Day. With a playful tee and matching tote. The donation: 15% of sales of the IWD collection will go to the Women’s Prison Association, empowering women to redefine their lives in the face of injustice and incarceration.
The brand: The Invisible Collection The IWD campaign: Throughout March The Invisible Collection will be presenting a curation of handmade linens by Egyptian brand Malaika, all of which are made in Malaika's Threads of Hope school and factory based in Cairo. Malaika revives the tradition of hand embroidery to train local women so they are able to upskill and generate a sustainable income. Malaika works with Save the Children and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to recruit and employ refugee women, as well as providing an on-site nursery, nutritious free meals and yearly breast cancer check-ups. The donation: 100% of all sales to supporting Malaika.
The brand: JIGGY The IWD campaign: Featuring original art by Maliha Abidi, JIGGY's 100 Iconic Women puzzle (part of the playful puzzle brands monthly subscription) highlights an array of trailblazers. From Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Malala. The donation: As with all of JIGGY's puzzles a percentage of each sale goes directly back to the artist, in addition to this JIGGY will be donating 20% of proceeds to The Girls Opportunity Alliance for IWD.
The brand: Mol & Stitch The IWD campaign: Cambridge-based embroidery brand Mol & Stitch are championing the Young Women's Trust this IWD. Founder Molly hand illustrates each design before embroidering onto their luxurious cotton tees. We love the labels powerful 'I am woman' design. The donation: Molly shared "I've chosen to donate 10% of the profits to is Young Women's Trust as they're all about aiding young women who are living on low or no pay to build a better future for themselves. Their goal is to help women recognise their own strengths to help build equal opportunities within the workplace. It’s been the toughest year and so many young women need support to help build themselves back up, let’s do our bit to help."
The brand: Bable Candles The IWD campaign: We love Bable candles. Each one is hand-painted by founder Bianca so they're entirely unique. To celebrate IWD they've collaborated with artist Simeron Kaler to celebrate the beauty and strength of women with a beautiful candle adorned with the female form and mimosa flowers. Available to shop from 5pm today, be quick we're sure they'll sell out. The donation: 10% from each sale will go to Wish, a UK based charity working with women with mental health needs in prisons, hospitals and the community.
The brand: Papier The IWD campaign: For International Women's Day Marie Claire favourite Papier have collaborated with model and mental health activist and Gurls Talk founder Adwoa Aboah. Teaming up to create a limited edition journal and notebook for self-reflection. Available in three different colourways each playful design is adorned with 'feelings is what makes life so beautiful.' Move quickly, we expect them to sell out. The donation: 100% of profits from the collection will be donated to Gurls Talk. A community-led non-profit dedicated to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of adolescent girls and young women.
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Oliver Bonas The IWD campaign: Raise a mug of your favourite brew this IWD with Oliver Bonas. The brand have created a playful 'super star' mug especially for the occasion. The donation: From the 8th-14th March £5 from each sale will be donated to Oliver Bonas' charity partner, UK Youth. Who are working to ensure all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to build bright futures.
