As New York Fashion Week kicks off this September, Vogue and the CFDA are teaming up to make an important statement. On Friday, September 6, Fashion For Our Future, a march uniting key voices from the American fashion industry, will take to the streets of Midtown Manhattan to champion democracy and encourage voter registration ahead of this November’s crucial general election.
What, exactly, will that look like? Picture more than a thousand American designers—including Tory Burch, Michael Kors, Thom Browne, Diane von Furstenberg, and Tommy Hilfiger—as well as models, retailers, factory workers, editors, influencers, and students streaming from Herald Square up to Bryant Park, all wearing custom “Fashion For Our Future” tees and dresses by Zac Posen and his design team at Old Navy. (The pieces will also be available for purchase at select Old Navy stores.) All the while, the nonprofit and nonpartisan group I Am a Voter—with which the CFDA has collaborated since 2020—will be on-site to help register participants to vote.
“For 30 years, Old Navy has stood for the democracy of style, making fashion accessible to all,” says Posen. “And we believe that democracy—like fashion—is at its best when everyone can participate. We are thrilled to partner with so many others in our industry to show that every voice counts.”
Adds Anna Wintour, chief content officer, Condé Nast, and global editorial director, Vogue: “Voting strengthens our democracy and puts the power in the hands of the American people—and Vogue and the CFDA are going to do everything we can to encourage registration. This is an extraordinary election with incredible consequences for our future, and nothing could be more important than participating in it by voting.”
From Seventh on Sale in the early 1990s to the dawn of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and Fashion’s Night Out in the aughts, the fashion industry has always banded together in moments of difficulty, shoring up its future when things seemed uncertain. Now, in the months leading up to one of the most important political contests of our lives, fashion is showing up yet again—this time, for the good of the entire nation.
And you can do your part, too: Start by registering to vote (or, if necessary, updating your registration) right here, right now.