The Planned Parenthood Action Fund Teams Up With Fashion Industry Luminaries on a Collection

Most people remember where they were in June 2022 when Roe vs. Wade was overturned, the fashion set included. Designer Prabal Gurung recalls being with family. Outlier’s Willie Norris was in between stops on the New York City subway. Screenwriter, model, and designer Peshawn Bread was working on set for Marvel’s TV show, Echo. But even those with no real recollection of where they were, remember exactly how they felt. “I was so absolutely shocked,” says Diane von Furstenberg. “The progress we’ve fought so hard for seemed to evaporate in an instant,” Gurung says. Two years later those core memories and feelings of despair have since spawned into action—and a partnership with Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s “We Decide” campaign, alongside their peers in the industry, 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 to live full and healthy lives. Which, as it stands, is not the case for all Americans. According to President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, over 29 million women (more than half of which 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.”

To ensure all voices are being represented, the team tapped a wide range of designers to participate in the campaign, and come up with a T-shirt design in their signature aesthetic to support the cause. The lineup includes Kenneth Cole, Kim Shui, Carly Cushnie, Fe Noel, as well as Monse, and Oscar De La Renta’s 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,” the not-for-profit organization’s national director for arts and entertainment Caren Spruch says on the partnership.

Despite having very different design approaches and aesthetics, they all have the common belief that fashion has always been political, regardless of those wondering how clothing and style tie into bigger issues, such as reproductive rights. “It’s how we express our identity, our beliefs, and our resistance,” Fe 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 furthered these sentiments, adding that he fundamentally 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.