Dior Champions Feminism

Maria Grazia Chiuri's first collection for Dior, spring 2017, made a strong statement for women's rights. One of the most noteworthy items was the "We Should All Be Feminists" T-shirt inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's essay and TEDx talk of the same name.

The show notes carried the theme forward with Chiuri explaining the "Feminism is a recurring word for her." The Beyoncé song “Flawless,” which also featured Adichie’s famous TEDx talk about feminism, played on the soundtrack, and the author was in the front row.

The Nigerian-born novelist, nonfiction writer and short story writer -- and a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient -- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls herself a "happy African feminist", in response to local criticisms that she was unhappy not finding a man and was dominated by the Western thinking of white women feminists.

In a late-November interview with ELLE.com, Adichie commented on her relationship with Chiuri and the fashion world in general. Explaining that she found the Dior show invite to be a nice touch, she initially declined going with the thought: "not really my sort of thing. "

"Then Maria Grazia wrote to me—a handwritten letter!—and I read it and was quite moved and decided to go," Adichie said. "So the letter was the first reason, and the second reason is that a free trip to Paris is a fairly good way to bribe me.

When I met her, I was so inspired by her. Inspired is an over-used word now but it is the only word that feels right. She is a very thoughtful, real, intelligent, confident woman. There are certain women I meet who make me proud to be a woman. She is one."

Dior Donates To Rihanna's CLF Foundation

On February 28, Dior announced that a percentage of proceeds from the sale of each WSABF t-shirt will benefit The Clara Lionel Foundation, Dior muse Rihanna's non-profit organization. Founded in 2012 in honor of her grandparents, CLF supports global education, health and emergency response programs.

The shirts will be $710 each and available at all Dior boutiques and online until May 15. A limited edition black version of the T-shirt will be available on Saks.com from March 14 to March 28.

"Seeing artists such as Rihanna wearing the We Should All Be Feminists T-shirt showed me how important it is for women to advance their fight," Chiuri said in a statement, "My position in a house as influential as Dior, but also my role as a mother, reminds me every day of my responsibilities and the importance of my actions."

When she became the first female Artistic Director of Christian Dior, replacing Raf Simons now at Calvin Klein, Chiuri ended a prolific 17-year creative relationship with Pierpaolo Piccioli, then at the creative helm of Valentino. Chiuri expressed a clear understanding of the duty and responsibilities that come with her powerful role.“Mr. Dior was very close to women. He wanted to understand women’s lifestyles, and we’re speaking about 1955. He was really incredibly clever, so I think in some way as the designer of the Dior brand, I have to have the same attitude,” she said.

“What I really want is a closer relationship with our clients, with our audience... I think what is different, probably, about a woman designer is that I want to have a relationship with other women. I want to know how they feel, I want to understand how I can support them."

The designer is a hip chick who discovered a street artist Solo and has commissioned massive Wonder Woman murals to celebrate the Valentino brand. The fifth mural opened in New York this spring. W interviewed Solo in mid-2017 as he completed his New York offering to strong women:

How did you interpret her character for the mural?
We tried to make a portrait of the modern woman. I grew up with my mom, who was a super strong figure and multi-tasker. She worked, took care of me and my brother, took care of the home, and is also a beautiful woman. I would come home from school one day and she would be working with a screwdriver, and then another she was all dressed up to go out with her friends. For me, Wonder Woman is 360-degrees. She’s the full picture. When I spoke with [creative directors] Maria Grazia and Pierpaolo [Piccioli] about this project, we wanted to do a portrait of a beautiful, independent woman. In the mural, she has lipstick in one hand to represent beauty, a baby bottle in another to represent family, another with a laptop, then a wrench and a shopping bag. We tried to represent a woman in her everyday, who is able to do anything.

Rihanna Honored By Harvard Foundation

Rihanna delivered an inspiring five-minute speech to students, opening with a quip "So I made it to Harvard. Never thought I'd be able to say that in my life, but it feels good." The Harvard Crimson writes that the Sanders Theatre was packed with cheering, screaming students who gave the eight-time Grammy winner a standing ovation.

The “Love On The Brain” singer was being honored by the Harvard Foundation for several projects. Riri has funded the construction of “a state-of-the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer” in her hometown of Bridgetown, Barbados, and has also launched a scholarship program to help Carribean students attend US colleges. She’s also an ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project – two organisations that aim to help young girls in developing countries get access to education -- although the Global Citizen Project has a wide project base.

The award ceremony included a performance by the Kuumba Singers, a welcome from Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana, student tributes to Rihanna’s humanitarian work, followed by the address above by Rihanna herself.

“Before I start with the mission of the College, I just have to say, ‘woah’,” a starstruck Khurana said before beginning his remarks.

In her speech, Rihanna stressed our common humanity and the importance of charity work. “We are all human and we all just want a chance: a chance at life, a chance at an education, a chance at a future,” Rihanna said. Noting that fame and fortune are not necessary to change a life, she challenged College students to use their education, their skills, and their good fortune to lift up someone else or contribute to an organization that helps others.

“All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return,” the singer said. “What that little girl watching those commercials didn't know is that you don't have to be rich to be a humanitarian, you don't have to be rich to help somebody. You don't have to be famous, you don't even have to be college educated. But it starts with your neighbor... you just do whatever you can to help in any way that you can.”

Rihanna was joined on stage by the Reverend Liz Walker, Dean Rakesh Khurana, and Harvard Foundation Director S. Allen Counter. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer

The Harvard Gazette writes:

Dean Rakesh Khurana noted that Rihanna’s widespread popularity attracts the kind of diversity the College strives to achieve. “As you can see from our students, that by drawing on our mission — our commitment to freedom, to pluralism — that we can create … a model of respectful, mutual relationships that bring together our diverse community, where our diversity comes to be seen as a source of infinite possibility,” he said.

Through her “unapologetic” music and fashion, Rihanna “symbolizes an alternative, liberated social system in which women can own their own desires and feel no responsibility to anyone’s expectations other than their own,” said Doni Lehman ’17, a Harvard Foundation intern and one of three College students who paid tribute to the singer. As a trailblazer, she “provides a much-needed supplement to traditional white feminism” and through her own power helps “other women realize their own.”

Harvard Foundation Will Honor Viola Davis

The Harvard Humanitarian Award is given each year in the name of Reverend Peter J. Gomes as a way to honor exceptional efforts in humanitarian works. Past recipients have included gender rights activist Malala Yousafzai, singer Lionel Richie, and Delores Huerta, a farmworker rights activist.

Later this week, the Harvard Foundation will honor Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis as the Foundation’s Artist of the Year at their Cultural Rhythms festival.