We Dissent! Banana Republic x ACLU Women’s Rights Project

On January 7, Banana Republic reissued the original “dissent collar” necklace in limited edition to support the work of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Women’s Rights Project. The non-profit’s arm of the ACLU was co-founded by Ruth Bader Ginsburg early in her career, to advocate for gender equality and women’s economic rights through systematic legal reform. We proudly donated 50% of the purchase price of each necklace to the organization. The response to our Dissent Collar necklace was tremendous – and heartwarming – and sold out in a few short hours.

Banana Republic’s commitment to equality has been core to the brand since the beginning – starting as an explorer brand co-founded by a husband and wife team, whose partnership laid a strong foundation of equality. To this day, equality remains woven into the fabric of the business as well as within that of parent company Gap Inc., which was also co-founded by a husband-wife team who invested equal amounts to start their business. In 2014, Gap Inc. became the first Fortune 500 company to announce equal work for equal pay, with its methodology and data independently validated by a leading gender and diversity firm. The company conducts an annual global pay equality review across its brands using this methodology.

“As a brand co-founded by a woman and a company that continues to empower strong women, we want to show our appreciation and support to those who are using their voices to champion equality every day,” says our CMO Mary Alderete.

Teaming up with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project was a natural fit. The project was born in 1972, just a few years before Banana Republic opened its first doors. The Women’s Rights Project has helped spotlight and tackle some of the nation’s biggest gender discrimination issues to date, working fearlessly for equal rights for all. Forty years later, it has the same mission for gender equality—confronting and making great progress on issues of women’s rights in the workplace, parenting and pregnancy discrimination, education and more.

“There’s a burst of energy around gender justice issues…I’m hopeful based on all of the feminist activism that’s been going on, all of the women running for office, all of the people who want to be active on women’s rights issues, all the people who take part in the women’s march…That all of that will continue to grow, and that we here at the ACLU will be able to continue changing the public’s hearts and mind as to what gender equality means,” says Lenora Lapidus, Director of the Women’s Rights Project.

We are hopeful too.

If you missed your chance at the Dissent Collar necklace, head here to join the wait list to be the first to know when it’s back in stock. 

Looking for more styles designed for a life with no boundaries? Click here.