Picture this: You’re on the marketing team at Reformation. You’ve been tasked with creating a campaign that convinces people to both vote on and buy a dress that is just sexy enough that you’ll catch the eye of the best man at your cousin’s wedding this spring. Who are you going to call? The ghost of Shirley Chisholm was unavailable, so Monica Lewinsky stepped up.
The activist is the face of Ref’s latest campaign, which is a collaboration with vote.org to remind people to get out to the polls and also to buy the brand’s latest “workwear” line. Workwear, in this case, means email job, not Carhartt. “Featuring strong silhouettes, tasteful tailoring, and our signature sustainable fibers, our new collection is here to remind you that you’ve got the power,” the website reads.
“Voting is using your voice to be heard, and it’s the most defining aspect of our democracy,” Lewinsky says on the campaign’s page. Okay! This pairing is exceedingly odd to me — Does the name Linda Tripp mean anything to the average Reformation shopper? — but I have to admit that Lewinsky looks amazing. She’s got me considering buying a tie. I won’t, but I thought about it.
If this is not your cup of tea, I suggest you lock your phone up for the next eight months. The “Go Vote!” campaigns will only keep coming, and they’ll get even less coherent as time goes on. Before you know it, influencers will be extolling the virtues of filling out an absentee ballot while wearing a Dusen Dusen bathrobe. Glossier’s next shade of Cloud Paint will be “Vote” (American-flag red). Don’t be too surprised if Gigi Hadid’s cashmere store is a polling place come November.
