Blythe Hill | Human Trafficking, a Style Challenge, and a Powerful Campaign | Episode 2.4
What started out as a simple creative style challenge has grown into a multi-million dollar campaign against one of the largest illicit industries, human trafficking. In 7 years of the campaign, thousands of participants, women and men, have joined together to wear a dress (or a tie) for the month of December in order to call attention to the industry through the campaign, Dressember.
On the show today, I talked with Blythe Hill of the Dressember Foundation which orchestrates and oversees this annual campaign. We talk about what is human trafficking, the potential and actual impact of a community on issues, reclaiming the dress, and being an advocate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before you get too far, are you interested in chatting with me about designing your dream closet? If so, sign up for a discovery call here.
We discuss:
[ ] What is trafficking
[14:30] How the Dressember foundation started
[18:05] The potential of the growing movement
[21:01] The impact of International Justice Mission
[25:10] The Power of a Community
[29:30] #youcandoanythinginadress and reclaiming the dress
[36:20] The Ethical Fashion Directory, the purpose behind it, and transparency in standards for recommendations
[41:20] Reasons for opening the 2020 campaign early
Check out the show notes for pictures of how advocates are fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic.
[47:41] What is something you’ve learned from doing the Dressember campaign?
Our Guest - Blythe Hill
Blythe is the CEO and Founder of the Dressember Foundation which she runs alongside her life in Los Angeles with her husband, young child, and dog—Friday.
Instagram: @blythehill
About the Dressember Foundation:
The Dressember Foundation leads the advocacy and fundraising campaign, Dressember, an annual campaign in which thousands of people have committed to wearing a dress (or tie) for the entire month of December, no matter their climate, in order to advocate and fundraise for anti-trafficking efforts led by the fifteen organizations that partner with the Founda tion. Since 2013, Dressember advocates have raised $10MM USD and resourced dozens of anti-trafficking programs across the US and the world.
And all of that was initiated by our guest, Blythe Hill, who started Dressember as a simple style challenge which then grew to what it is today.
Dressember has received press attention from the likes of Forbes, Glamour, InStyle, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, the TODAY Show, among others. And in 2019, Blythe was named one of InStyle's 50 Badass Women, alongside powerhouse ladies like Michelle Obama, Christine Blasey Ford, Angela Davis, and Gayle King.
Website: https://www.dressember.org/
Instagram: @Dressember
Facebook: @OfficialDressember
Join the 2020 Campaign
Don’t want to commit yet, but want to contribute to COVID-19 grants? Donate through my Campaign page: Meredith's Campaign
Links referenced:
The Ethical Fashion Directory - https://www.dressember.org/directory
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