Giving Compass' Take:

• Fashion designers are calling on men to support more women's issues, and work past the polarization problems to advance women's rights together. 

• Why is it important that men be part of the movement about women? 

• Read the Giving Compass Gender Equality guide for donors. 

2017 has been a year of rage, action and protest – something that the fashion world has at times played a key part of. From black dresses at the Golden Globes to pink protests hats, the fashion industry has been used as a platform to instigate change and, this week, two key players took to their platforms to call for galvanisation among the genders.

In a recent article for Harper’s Bazaar, fashion designer and social activist Katharine Hamnett expressed her desire for women and men to work together to tackle the issues facing women today. “I’ve always found that the problem with feminism is that there aren’t enough men in it,” she said in the article titled What It Means To Be A Political Activist Now. “It [feminism] is about understanding each other and moving forward in a different way.

We need to get together and talk about it, helping men to see that things aren’t right and that it needs to change. It’s not about preaching to the converted. There’s so much polarisation at the moment and I don’t want gender wars.” Instead, Hamnett suggests, we should focus on coming together. “I believe it’s unifying,” she adds. “That stops you feeling alone in your anger about something”.

Read the full article about calling men to support women's issues by Elle Turner  at The Pool