4 Fashion Brands To Support Instead of Shopping Amazon Prime Day

Tatum Dooley
Updated
These companies are using the power of clothes to talk about immigration issues and the ongoing refugee crisis.

Why support major fashion or beauty brands and retail companies—who have less than stellar histories of treating employees—when you can support brands who are actively working to make a difference? As the refugee crisis continues at an alarming pace, and the United State’s policy towards immigration becomes even more hostile, it’s important to take note and support brands that are actively working to counter these racist stances.

Here are four of our favorite brands who incorporate their immigrant-heritage with pride, with some directly giving back to the community. It doesn’t hurt that their designs are lust-worthy, either.

Barragán

Barragán, founded by Victor Barragán who was born in Mexico City, is a 2019 CFDA/Vogue Fund Finalist, and for good reason. Many of his designs incorporate his Mexican roots, paying ode to streets of Mexico City and New York, where he splits his time now.

The fabrics for his designs are sourced locally in New York, while all the production happens in Mexico City, creating an apt metaphor for the immigrant experience. In 2017, he told Fashionista, "I really like to show my own culture, too. I'm tattooed; these flame graphics that we used on the last collection are really popular [in Mexico]. I tried to show them in a different way on the garments." Barragán clothes have a distinct sense of humor and edginess that’s perfect for young streetwear fans that want to look cool and support an immigrant-run company.

Fenty

Last month’s Fenty drop featured a graphic tee that proudly displayed Rihanna’s immigrant heritage. The singer, who’s from Barbados, told The Cut in June, “Wherever I go, except for Barbados, I’m an immigrant. I think people forget that a lot of times. I think they see Rihanna the brand,” she said. “But I think it’s important for people to remember, if you love me, everyone out here is just like me. A million Rihannas out there, getting treated like dirt.”

The tee features the definition of "origin" and “immigrant,” above dragon prints inspired by ancient Japanese paintings and film photographs. “Though casual in oversized fits, T-shirts are graphic heavy and political in effect, championing the immigrant experience,” the brand said. In an Instagram post, Rihanna posted with the shirt and a diverse group of women. The caption simply read, “hey 👋🏿 @realdonaldtrump.” We’re pretty sure we know what Rihanna’s stance on Donald Trump’s asinine immigration policies is...

Kids of Immigrants

If you loved Rihanna’s “immigrant” t-shirt from her latest Fenty drop, but can’t afford the $$$ price tag, Kids of Immigrants is the brand for you. KOI shirts proudly display uplifting messages like: Immigrants, Support Your Friends, and Commit 2 Love. As far as we’re concerned, they’re the most patriotic shirts we’ve ever seen (immediately adds to cart).

The Los Angeles-based clothing line was created by Daniel Buezo and Weleh Dennis who wanted to make clothes that take pride in the immigrant experiences by focusing on positivity and communal support. “The duality of our upbringings is something to be proud of. At home we are raised as Honduran or Liberian families and then in school we were Americans,” Weleh told Teen Vogue last year.

The kicker? KOI walks the walk by giving back to their communities. Since their launch, they have worked with nonprofits in the LA area such as Inner City Arts in Skid Row, We Are Lightwork, Akasa Community and most recently with Artworx LA, which serves dozens of high schools in the city.

ADIFF

ADIFF is doing two things we love: supporting refugees and producing eco-conscious clothing. The winner of the 2019 CFDA Elaine Gold Launchpad award, the brand uses lifejackets and UNHCR tents, sourced from the Lesvos island in Greece where they’re disposed of after refugees make the harrowing journey from neighboring counties, and upcycles them into bags and clothing. “We are at a critical moment in this country where we can promote bigotry and racism, or show empathy and realize the humanity of one another. ADIFF has always worked towards the latter: bringing these issues to the forefront by creating conversations, but also directly addressing them through fashion,” founder Angela Luna told Teen Vogue.

Plus, the company employs resettled refugees in Athens, Greece to assemble their products in a factory ran by the non-profit Do Your Part. ADIFF bags wouldn’t look a hair out of place during fashion week as their industrial-meets-fashion approach is seriously on-trend.

Loulwa Al Saad, Marketing Coordinator at ADIFF and one of the founding members, told Teen Vogue, “As an Arab, this crisis inherently means a lot to me and ADIFF is a company that combines both my background in fashion and cultural heritage. Angela and I were brought together by our mutual empathy for the refugee crisis and passion for fashion. We wanted to create change within the fashion industry, and through it change in the larger world.” ADIFF is certainly doing its part in creating change in the world, and we hope other companies follow suit.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue