Gucci Donates $500,000 To Gun-Control March in Washington
The brand has a first-hand experience with a mass shooting
Photo: Getty
Gucci, fw18
On February 14, a mass shooting left 17 dead at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Since then, the school's teenage survivors have been tirelessly speaking out, organizing, and mobilizing for better gun control in America.
As a result, March For Our Lives, a gun-control protest set to take place in Washington, D.C. on March 24, has been planned by a group of Parkland teenagers. Now, the movement is receiving support from an unexpected source: Gucci.
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The Italian fashion brand announced it would be making a $500,000 donation to March For Our Lives and is also sending its own team to walk in the march.
"We stand with March For Our Lives and the fearless students across the country who demand that their lives and safety become a priority. We have all been directly or indirectly impacted by these senseless tragedies, and Gucci is proud to join this movement with a donation of $500,000," the company said in a statement.
Creative director Alessandro Michele also spoke out about the teenagers of Parkland, Florida, adding, "I am truly moved by the courage of these students. My love is with them and it will be next to them on March 24. I am standing with March for Our Lives and the strong young women and men across the United States who are fighting for their generation and those to come."
Teenagers in Parkland, Florida march for gun control. Photo: Getty
gun control, parkland, florida
According to BoF, Gucci has first-hand experience dealing with mass shootings in the U.S. In June 2016, a Gucci employee was amongst 49 victims killed in a shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Another employee was injured in the same shooting.
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The brand has previously made its own political statements, most recently in its Pre-Fall 2018 campaign that channeled the movement of student protests during the 1960s.
Gucci’s Pre-Fall 2018 campaign pays homage to socially-conscious student movements of the 1960s Photo: Glen Luchford
1960, gun control, Glen Luchford
While many other companies have gotten involved in the fight for gun-control by cutting ties with the NRA, Gucci is the first fashion brand to publicly donate to the cause.
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This post originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.