How Canadian Brands are Supporting the Black Lives Matter Movement

We’re all in this together.

We’re taking a look at the Canadian brands that are supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the fight against police brutality and systemic racism. We recognize that a monetary donation and social media support does not fix the problem, however we hope that it is the start of a greater push to amplify Black voices and to promote diversity and equal rights both on social media and, most importantly, in real life.

Hilary MacMillan

Toronto-based designer Hilary MacMillan has announced today that she will donate 100 per cent of the proceeds from the Equal Pay varsity jacket to Black Women in Motion‘s Black Youth Employment Assistance Program moving forward. In a release, MacMillan highlighted several statistics relating to pay and employment for racialized men and women in Canada, noting that racialized women earn 59 cents for every dollar made by a white male and 87 cents for every dollar made by a white female. Racialized men make 78 cents for every dollar earned by a white male. Speaking of the new initiative, MacMillan said, “The issue of employment sustainability is one of the factors related to inequity of pay, a matter which greatly fractures communities and remains a social injustice long embedded in our economy. Working to address this affects the lives of women, men and most importantly our youth; our future. We recognize that this is not enough, and look forward to committing our words and actions to this initiative as well. It is my hope that these steps will lead the marathon towards equal opportunity and positive change.”

The Equal Pay jacket is available now for $120. Get yours here.

Mary Young

Toronto-based sustainable loungewear designer Mary Young is donating 100 per cent of her sales until June 5 to Black Lives Matter Toronto and Black Visions Collective. Announcing the news on Instagram, the brand wrote that this is “just the start for us – we are actively working on how our efforts can last more than a few days but rather years.”

Fleur du Mal

Canadian designer Jennifer Zuccarini is the woman behind NYC-based lingerie label Fleur du Mal. The brand has pledged to donate 10 per cent of all of its sales to Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative which helps protestors in need to legal resources. “Staying silent is not an option,” the brand wrote on Instagram. “Fleur stands with those fighting for justice & equality.”

Dr. Liza

Toronto-based osteopath and celebrity body and posture expert Dr. Liza Egbogah was one of the first Black Canadian females to design an entire line of shoes. For every pair of her Dr. Liza Pump in black that is sold between now and Sunday June 7, Dr. Liza will donate $75 to Black Lives Matter TO. Plus, the shoes (and the rest of her collection) are 50 per cent off right now to encourage as many people as possible to make a purchase.

Aritzia

“No words, no post on Instagram, no amount of donations will ever be enough. But action inspires actions inspires change. And we are in this together,” wrote Aritzia at the start of a post announcing that it has donated $100,000 to Black Lives Matter and the NAACP in honour of George Floyd.

SSENSE

In a post announcing it will donate “to organizations fighting racial injustice including Black Lives Matter,” the Montreal-based luxury e-commerce brand wrote on Instagram: “Black Lives Matter. SSENSE stands in solidarity with the fight against white supremacy. We stand with our Black colleagues, designers and community and those on the ground practicing true allyship and protesting state sanctioned violence. Silence is complicity.”

Mejuri

Toronto-based jewellery brand Mejuri announced on Instagram that it has made a donation to the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund. “We also know this is not enough,” the brand wrote in the post. “So we will continue to listen, to educate ourselves, to speak up, and to stand in solidarity.”

DECIEM

Canadian beauty brand DECIEM announced that from today its Instagram Stories will be dedicated to continuing the conversation around racism and inequality through the sharing of videos submitted by its followers. Additionally, it said it will donate $100,000 to Black Lives Matter and the NAACP Legal Defence & Educational Fund.

Lululemon

Sharing news of its $100,000 donation to the Minnesota Freedom Fund – an organization providing protestors who have been arrested with the funds to post bail  – the Canadian sportswear brand wrote, “We haven’t always got it right. Over the years it made us question if we had a right to speak up. And we are privileged to have a voice and a platform. So… Know we are not indifferent. Far from it. We are passionate about every single human being being valued.”

Tanya Taylor

Canadian designer Tanya Taylor – whose business is based in New York City – has committed to donating 20 per cent of net sales from her eponymous line to the NAACP starting from today. “While we wish it could be more, we are a small business recovering from the effects of COVID-19, but are committed to doing our part in other ways in the interim,” the brand wrote on Instagram noting that it will support and share businesses owned by Black professionals as a start. “As a brand, we are discussing more long-term and meaningful actions we can take, and will be sharing with you soon.”

Nudestix

Nudestix announced two donations to its new Beauty Be Change initiative last night. The first is a minimum of $25,000 over two years to “scholarships for post-secondary education of POC in marginalized and oppressed communities” and the second is $20,000 to a business fund “for POC working as makeup artists or content creators to provide work in the beauty industry and black small business owners.

Looking for more? Find our list of Black-run beauty brands to support here, 51 Black-run fashion brands to support here and a list of anti-racism resources here.