Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
American lifestyle label Tory Burch celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 and Women’s History month by globally unveiling its Walk the Walk campaign for spring/summer 2020.
The launch brought together the new collection and the brand’s message for women empowerment along with its signature call to action #EmbraceAmbition which appeared across multiple channels, including the website, social media and store windows.
This builds on the Tory Burch Foundation’s Embrace Ambition global initiative which was launched in 2017. The Foundation itself, which was established in 2009, was created to a make a difference in women’s lives by providing access to capital, education and digital resources, as well as a fellowship programme.
The campaign features powerful images and a video of inspirational models Natalia Vodianova and Anok Yai as they are walking and talking about the importance of embracing ambition.
Natalia has used her modeling platform to make a difference at home in Russia and internationally, championing children with special needs and their families and investing in women-focused businesses. Anok was working toward a biochemistry degree before becoming a model and is interested in challenging gendered cultural expectations.
According to Natalia, ambition has to have a purpose and Anok said: “Your character is how you treat someone [who] can do nothing for you.”
As for Tory, who is the executive chairman and chief creative officer of her brand as well as founder of the foundation, embracing ambition means empowering other women.
She said: “I wanted to design beautiful products that didn’t cost a fortune to help women feel beautiful and confident—this concept and starting a foundation for women was part of the original business plan. After we launched our Foundation, I was careful not to talk about our efforts because I never wanted it to be perceived as marketing. My parents raised me to know that talk is easy and it is what you do that counts. I wanted to be able to show that we were creating something truly impactful. Now that our Foundation has impact and scale, I am ready to talk about it. We have provided access to $57 million in affordable loans to 3,500 women entrepreneurs in the US. Our company is committed to our Foundation and supporting women, and has given $20 million to the Tory Burch Foundation to help empower women. We walk the walk and we are committed to supporting women globally in their efforts to do the same.”
Tory’s spring/summer 2020 is inspired by and celebrates Princess Diana. It features styles such as the 80s telltale pouf sleeves, strapless and shirred hourglass party dresses and slouchy silk tops and trousers in bold prints. There are also cinched waist designs, oversized taffeta bows, harem trousers and palazzos. Gentle volumes are also contrasted by tailored pieces such as button-downs, trench coats and cardigans.
As for the palettes, the line is fresh and flirty in delicate pastels including melon, lavender and lemon, mixed with earthy neutrals of cream, white, khaki, navy and black. There are warm bursts of red, bright yellow and electric blue. The patterns and prints include a mixture of florals, stripes, plaids and kinetic geometric prints. The accessories have a joyful spirit.
Tory’s message of women’s empowerment was also front and center at her autumn /winter 2020 runway show at Sotheby’s in New York which was covered in GulfWeekly.
