NEW YORK – Splendid, the contemporary T-shirt line, is trying to change the fashion vernacular.
The brand has teamed with Liveawear, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring social consciousness and transforming attitudes toward domestic abuse, to create the “not a wifebeater,” tank, hoping to banish this term.
“When I looked into domestic abuse more and more, I was repulsed by the idea that tanks were called by this name,” said Moises Emquies, founder and designer of Splendid, based in Los Angeles. “I think that printing these words on our tanks will bring awareness to the cause.”
Emquies, with the help of Liveawear, became aware of some alarming statistics. According to a 2003 U.S. Department of Justice Study, relationship abuse is a leading cause of death for women and every 15 seconds a woman is beaten by her partner.
The hangtags on the Splendid tanks cut to the point. “Splendid does not make wifebeaters,” is splashed across the top of the tag followed by this statement: “The definition of a wifebeater is a person who emotionally and physically abuses their partner. Not a tank top.” The phone number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline is on the tag in addition to Liveawear’s Web address, liveawear.org.
The tanks will hit stores in April and will retail for $40. Emquies will donate 50 percent of the wholesale price to Liveawear and hopes retailers will donate a percentage of their sales to the cause as well. Intermix, the contemporary boutique based here, has signed on to carry the tanks in stores this spring. The “not a wifebeater” tanks will also be for sale at the Intermezzo Collections trade show here Jan. 8-10.
Though Splendid is known for creating super-comfortable tanks and Ts in a rainbow of colors, Emquies said this campaign will feature just white tanks.
“I want them to be as stark as possible,” he said. “It gets straight to the message, and takes the fashion factor out of it. You have to learn how serious this really is.”
STATS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Related Articles
- Thirty one percent of American women report abuse by a partner at some point in their lives.
- In 2001, more than half a million American women were victims of nonfatal violence committed by a partner.
- On average, more than three women are murdered by their partner in this country each day.
- Pregnant women are more likely to be the victims of homicide than to die of any other cause.
Source: The family violence prevention fund