Gucci’s Gender Equality Initiative Is Celebrating One Decade of Impact
Ten years ago today, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Salma Hayek Pinault, founded the Gucci CHIME campaign, an initiative dedicated to furthering gender equality globally. To commemorate the occasion, Gucci hosted The Sound Of Change: Live in London, a concert at Twickenham Stadium with performances by Beyoncé, Florence Welch, John Legend, and Jennifer Lopez. The broadcast had over 1 billion views and raised $3.9 million to support girls and women around the world.
Since 2013, Gucci CHIME has raised $21.5 million, which has been used in over 500 projects in 92 countries in partnership with 185 non-profits. The lives of over 635,000 girls and women have been impacted by the initiative.
To celebrate a decade-long impact, Gucci asked CHIME advisory board member, and Academy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy to work on a series of 35 videos to help amplify voices speaking out for gender equality. The series features artists, activists, organizers, and advocates discussing what equality means to them and sharing personal anecdotes, including longtime CHIME supporters like Julia Roberts, John Legend, Salma Hayek Pinault, and Florence Welch. New Gucci faces included are Idris Elba, Julia Garner, Halle Bailey, Alia Bhatt, Serena Williams, and Jodie Turner-Smith. The score of the video is Beyoncé's Freedom from Lemonade in which she sings, “Freedom /Where are you? /'Cause I need freedom, too /I break chains all by myself /Won't let my freedom rot in hell /Hey! I'ma keep running /'Cause a winner don't quit on themselves.”
In the video series, Hayek Pinault points out that once we accept the concept of gender equality as a normality, true change can follow. Harper’s Bazaar Editor-in-Chief Samira Nasr points out the urgency needed, “We can’t sit back anymore. We have to be actively engaged.” Actress Jodie Turner-Smith speaks about channeling our emotions, “We have to take our rage, our pain, our fear, and we have to funnel it into action and change. We cannot sit silent. We have to get involved and say that, yes, my voice does count.”
In a statement, director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy says, “The commitment of Gucci CHIME to amplify voices over the last decade speaks to me and my work. Each film in this new series is an important reminder of why we need to champion the voices of those who are working to create change. I hope this campaign will reinvigorate conversations around the world, so that everyone feels the urgency to contribute towards creating a more gender equal future.”
In the same release, Gucci CHIME co-founder Hayek Pinault says that while CHIME has had a large impact, there is still plenty left to do, “While there have been some great advances in gender equality since we founded Chime 10 years ago, there is still a lot of work to be done. It has been incredible for me to have the opportunity to meet people around the world and see firsthand the impact the campaign has had on so many lives. I’m overwhelmed and inspired by how many people want to participate in the change, and I feel very hopeful for the future. It’s really a fight worth having, now, more than ever.”
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