Most people remember where they were in June 2022 when Roe v. Wade was overturned, the fashion set included. Designer Prabal Gurung recalls being with family. Tomboyx’s Willie Norris was between stops on the New York City subway. Screenwriter, model, and designer Peshawn Bread was working on set. But even those with no real recollection of where they were remember exactly how they felt. “I was so absolutely shocked,” Diane von Furstenberg says. Gurung agrees: “The progress we’ve fought so hard for seemed to evaporate in an instant.”
Two years later those core memories and feelings of despair have spawned action alongside their industry peers—and a partnership with Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s We Decide campaign, encouraging people to get out and vote.
As the organization’s political arm, Planned Parenthood’s Action Fund fights for policies that guarantee all people can get the sexual and reproductive care and education needed for full and healthy lives. Which, as it stands, is not the case for all Americans. According to president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, more than 29 million women (more than half of whom are Black and of reproductive age, plus more trans and nonbinary folks) in 22 states are blocked from abortion care in their home states. “Bans on care harm everyone,” she says. “But they hit hardest among women, people with low incomes, LGBTQ+ people, as well as Black, Latino, and other communities of color—where systemic racism and discrimination already make it hard to get basic health care.”
The team tapped a wide range of designers to participate in the campaign and develop a T-shirt design to support the cause. The lineup includes Kenneth Cole, Kim Shui, Carly Cushnie, Fe Noel, and Monse and Oscar de la Renta creative director Fernando Garcia. “We are most grateful to these prominent designers for channeling their passion for this cause and harnessing their immense talent to create an exclusive collection for Planned Parenthood Action Fund,” says Caren Spruch, the not-for-profit organization’s national director for arts and entertainment.
Despite having very different design approaches and aesthetics, they all share the belief that fashion has always been political. “It’s how we express our identity, beliefs, and resistance,” Noel tells Vogue. “In today’s world, where rights are being rolled back, fashion becomes a way to amplify the voices that aren’t always heard in political arenas.”
Gurung believes the two are intertwined. “Fashion can be glamorous, joyous, and fun, but it is also a visual communicator to send a message to show who you are and what you stand for.” But as the designer points out, we can’t have joy without securing our foundational and fundamental rights.
Each designer made their T-shirt with some iteration of the slogan, “We Decide,” and their identities in mind. Von Furstenberg wrote “Women Decide” in her instantly recognizable doodle font, while Norris’s design spells out “Queer Trans People Decide” in her signature typeface with a high chest placement.
Bread, a Native, queer, and femme-presenting person amplifying Indigenous voices, used a folded technique called parfleche. “It’s a traditional art form from tribes of the Plateau and northern and southern Plains,” she explains, calling it the craft of creating carriers to hold one’s belongings. “With that, I thought, Aren’t we all vessels that hold precious things, from our wombs to our hearts? Don’t we deserve to be adorned with stories and meaning?”
“Each shirt is a stunning walking billboard that allows individuals to proudly communicate their identities and beliefs and to encourage others to vote in this critical election,” says Spruch.
The designers also chose a muse to sport their respective T-shirts. The list includes everyone from singer Saweetie to actors Ariana DeBose, Bowen Yang, Lili Reinhart, and Quannah ChasingHorse. “She is such a strong figure in our community, and I adore her strength and the love she gives to many,” Bread says of working with model and actor ChasingHorse. “I am honored to have been able to work with her, and for her to offer a platform for my art, it means the world.”
Norris notes that while fashion can have a powerful impact, it’s essential not just to use it as a symbol. “We need to embed real, actionable change into our business practices to make a genuine difference,” she explains.
The exclusive designer T-shirts will be available September 24 on Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s marketplace. As for what you can do in addition to getting out to vote? “Have conversations with friends, family members, and folks in your communities about the urgency of this upcoming election,” Planned Parenthood’s Johnson says. “Share your story! Get engaged by joining events to get educated on the issues. Tell your elected official to fight for the future you want to see.” “Fashion is a powerful statement,” Spruch adds. “And now is the time to use it to champion reproductive freedom.”
Find a look at the collection, below.
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