International Women's Day & Giveaway

March is women’s history month & the 8^th March is International Women’s Day – a day that has been celebrated for over 100 years. A day to honour and celebrate the cultural, social, economic and political achievements of women.

The history of women’s struggles for gender equality and equal rights is long and inspiring.

This International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate our role models, and let them know that they’re a role model for us. As women we are sometimes too modest and don’t take compliments very well so this would be good practice!

 

It is also a day to remember and celebrate exactly why women are so fabulous!!!

In Italy, they celebrate traditionally by giving out bunches of small yellow mimosas; the chosen symbol of International Women’s Day in this country. Also seen to symbolise female strength, it’s common for women to pass sprigs of mimosas to each other as a sign of female solidarity.

The fashion industry’s gender equality and sustainability come hand-in-hand!

Majority of garments workers are women, who are often poorly paid, experience wage theft, work in unsafe or unsanitary factories, have a lack of opportunities for career advancement, face sexual harassment or assault and physical or psychological abuse, according to the unions and workers’ rights activists.

 Despite the fashion industry’s growing climate commitments, it seems to be behind the curve when recognising that gender equality and climate change are inextricably linked. In saying that, The UN declared this year’s International Women’s Day theme to be “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” and the International Union for Conservation of Nature cautioned in 2020 that the planet’s declining health could likely exacerbate gender-based violence.

 Many big fashion companies have statements on their websites about women’s rights or equal pay, but how often do you see details about what they are actually doing to achieve those ideals in their operations? The most progressive brands are shifting those dynamics and have started to work towards gender equality as part of their overall sustainability strategies. 

Non-profit organisation The OR Foundation documents the environmental and social impacts of the second-hand clothing market in Accra, the capital of Ghana which is one of the biggest such markets in the world. They found that the issues of garment waste and female oppression to be two sides of the same coin. The weight of the world’s used clothing falls on the shoulders, literally, of women in the Global South. 

Fashion must recognise both the long-term repercussions of historic pay inequities, or lack of paid work entirely, and the absence of major funding to develop, implement and scale initiatives dedicated to addressing gender inequality and its root causes. There’s no substitute for investment.

It’s more than a day and a slogan. There are so many ways to support women that we can celebrate on International Women's Day, but execute all year round.

We want you to have a chance to celebrate the women who inspire you. 

  

This is a formal invitation for you to celebrate with us. Please head over to our Instagram page @b_e_i_r_a for our International Women’s Day giveaway on the 8^th March.

 

We would love you to tell us about the women in your life who inspire you. 

 

In order to enter them into our giveaway, which will win them one of our luxurious sustainable tee shirts, you need to follow the @b_e_i_r_a Instagram account, like our competition post and tag one inspirational woman in your life. You may enter as many women as you like, but only one tagged inspirational woman per post please. 

 

It would be an honour for us, to help you, send love to the amazing women in your life. 

 

The competition goes live at 8.30pm on 8^th March. Full T&C’s can be found below.