On March 13, 2000, an EMT by the name of Breonna Taylor was fatally shot and killed while in her home. The shooting occurred during a no-knock raid as police officers sought out a target that was no longer living with Taylor. Instead, the officers would end up raiding the premises where they would be confronted by legal gun owner Kenneth Walker, Breonna’s boyfriend. Walker, in self-defense, would fire a single shot into the floorboards of the house before police officers would return fire with 32 bullets, fatally striking Breonna six total times.
The details of the Breonna Taylor case would cause protests to spread throughout the nation as the public demanded accountability for the officers involved in the shooting. Taylor’s family would find themselves at the center of a racial movement that also included the deaths of George Floyd and Jacob Black, two more unarmed Black men who died in police custody that year.
The Breonna Taylor case put social justice and police reform on the front page of every paper in the United States. In conjunction with other racially charged shootings involving police officers, including the shooting of Jacob Blake, the Breonna Taylor story would lead to a massive moment that has since been embraced by people like Megan Thee Stallion and corporations like Fashion Nova.
On the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s tragic passing, Fashion Nova and Megan Thee Stallion took to the internet to launch their most recent initiative and collaboration to continue the fight that began in the wake of Breonna’s passing.
Social Justice and Fashion Collaborate
The one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s tragic passing was overshadowed by how little progress that has been made in the intervening months. The Grand Jury that was empaneled by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron was not allowed to pursue murder charges, leaving the case bitter in the mouths of activists. That being said, bitterness has not given way to inactivity as instead individuals like Megan Thee Stallion and Fashion Nova work together to harness momentum for real change.
Fashion Nova announced that it would work together with Megan Thee Stallion to promote social change. The two partners were teaming up to donate more than $100,000 to the Breonna Taylor Foundation, a non-profit organization put in place by Tamika L. Palmer, mother to Breonna Taylor.
The Breonna Taylor Foundation has been in the headlines since it was founded soon after Taylor’s death. The goal of the foundation has been to support and initiate economic, racial, social, and police justice reform in the world today, tomorrow, and for years to come. Megan Thee Stallion has been particularly vocal about the need for accountability as more and more unarmed individuals are shot and killed by the police. Megan would garner national headlines when she stated that Daniel Cameron, the A.G. of Kentucky, was “no different” for his role in bypassing murder charges with regard to the offending officers.
Megan Thee Stallion and Fashion Nova are no strangers to advancing their work in the social justice fields. Megan and Fashion Nova have both been at the center stage of social justice reform through several charitable initiatives over the past couple of years, including the founding of Fashion Nova Cares — a commitment to honoring, empowering, and motivating women to do great things.
Putting Women on Top With Fashion Nova
As a leading e-commerce and fashion lifestyle brand, Fashion Nova has been at the forefront of several major progressive and social justice causes, including the empowerment of women through a philanthropic outreach program. Working with Megan Thee Stallion yet again, Fashion Nova would announce the Women on Top program to support female-led businesses, charities, and organizations.
The goal of Women on Top was to craft an outreach program that could directly support and highlight women, organizations, and entrepreneurs who were doing ‘great things’ according to the program. The program was announced with Fashion Nova declaring that they would highlight one company per day while donating $25k through the entire month of March, leading to $1 million in total donations to female empowerment.
Along the way, Women on Top would reach out to organizations like Girls Inc in New York City, Casa De Esperanza to support ending gender-based violence in Latino communities, and Black Women For Wellness.
Megan Thee Stallion posted to her Instagram that she was excited to once again be working with Fashion Nova on yet another major project. Megan said that the donations curated through the program were “life-changing” and that they would help women of all ages and backgrounds to continue “making their dreams a reality.”
The words of Megan Thee Stallion were echoed by Fashion Nova Founder and CEO, Richard Saghian. Saghian stated that he believed the world to be a “better place” when women were “provided the opportunity to maximize their potential.” Saghian went on to outline how the program was created to empower women to pursue passions and opportunities.
Fashion Nova Sets Sights on Activism
Fashion Nova was established in 2006 as a club-apparel brand in Panorama City, Los Angeles. After a decade of operations, Fashion Nova would eventually launch its successful Curve Collection, rebranding and expanding until its collaboration with Cardi B in 2018. After working with Cardi B and establishing several collaborative collections, Fashion Nova would find themselves partnered with YG, Blueface, Saweetie, and Blac Chyna among many others.
Now considered one of the top e-commerce brands in the industry, Fashion Nova has employed over 600 associates while opening five brick-and-mortar retail locations across Southern California.
Fashion Nova has an extensive history of integrating social justice causes into its work. The company has already pledged donations to Black Lives Matter, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Know Your Rights Camp, and Women on Top.