Last week Opening Ceremony presented its first resistance ballet, The Times Are Racing. Soundtracked by Dan Deacon and choreographed by 29-year-old New York City Ballet star Justin Peck, it was more than an innovative way for the brand to debut its fall/winter 17 collection. After the performance, OC co-founder Carol Lim told W Magazine it was the brand’s attempt to explore the “journeys of our parents and then our journey as Americans.” Set against the backdrop of President Trump’s executive order to temporarily ban travelers from select Muslim-majority countries from entering the US (and the resulting immigration protests), it was impossible to ignore the timeliness of the creative statement.
The presentation also introduced the brand’s Action capsule collection of hoodies, tees, and tanks bearing slogans like PROTEST, DEFY, and SHOUT. Opening Ceremony has now announced that 100% of the sales from those items will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union. It’s not the first time the brand has fundraised for the ACLU; last year, it held a special three hour sale to raise money for the organization.
Since Friday, the ACLU has received over $24 million in donations; an amazing $20 million over what they usually receive in a year. On Sunday executive director Anthony Romero told Yahoo News “I’ve never seen anything like this… People are fired up and want to be engaged.” You can do your own small part by shopping the collection here.
Credits
Text Wendy Syfret
Image via @openingceremony