French footballer Antoine Griezmann for Kering's White Ribbon for Women 2016
French luxury conglomerate Kering Group is including well-known male ambassadors in its fifth annual White Ribbon for Woman campaign to combat violence against women.
Kering is vocal about its support of women’s rights and advocates often to end domestic violence. For this year’s White Ribbon for Women campaign, which in the past has featured well-known spokeswomen, Kering has invited prominent male figures to lend their voices to the cause.
#BeHerVoice
Kering’s White Ribbon for Women campaign will be hosted Nov. 18-27. This year’s campaign includes French footballer Antoine Griezmann, American surfer and founder of menswear brand Outerknown Kelly Slater and Chinese actor Yang Yang.
By including male ambassadors in the White Ribbon for Women efforts, Kering is expressing that violence against women is not only a women’s issue.
“At the Kering Foundation we are working alongside nonprofits and governments to combat violence against women, but the real challenge is in changing societal behaviors and beliefs,” said Francois-Henri Pinault, president of the Kering Foundation and chairman and CEO of Kering, in a statement.
“When one considers that one in three women worldwide experiences violence, it is clear that this issue touches us all, be it as a society, a corporation or citizen; be it as man or woman,” he said. “With our White Ribbon for Women campaign we hope to break the taboo on this epidemic by encouraging everyone to join in the combat and raise their voices alongside our ambassadors.”
In the efforts, the three men sat for a portrait series and recounted the true stories of women who have experienced violence and have received support from the Kering Foundation. The campaign will use the hashtag #BeHerVoice to encourage the international community to “break the silence on violence against women.”
#BeHerVoice banner
A #BeHerVoice crowdfunding platform will also be established Nov. 18-27. During the campaign’s run, users will have the opportunity to support a cause of their choice from a list of projects organized by Kering Foundation’s partner NGOs.
Participating NGOs that help empower women after being affected by violence include, It’s On Us in the United States, Asia’s HER Fund and Fédération Nationale Solidarité Femmes, La Maison des Femmes, Rosa UK and Women’s Aid in Europe.
The campaign extends in-store as well with 230,000 White Ribbon for Women brooches and stickers, designed by Kering Foundation board member Stella McCartney, that have been distributed to more than 800 boutiques in 51 countries. The ribbons can found at the boutiques of Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Stella McCartney, McQ, Boucheron, Qeelin, Pomellato and Dodo.
Earlier this year, Kering Group commemorating International Women’s Day on March 8 through its “We Are Women” campaign and by lending support to the United Nations.
The campaign support is part of Kering’s three-year partnership with the UN Women French National Committee, in which the conglomerate provides financial support and actively participates in the organization of its global efforts. Throughout the year Kering vocally promotes women’s issues with the help of its stable of brands, and it is this ongoing dedication to these causes that reads as authentic among consumers (see story).