Guess? 2014 Denim Day Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rachael Matican GUESS?, Inc.
212.852.0513 rmatican@guess.com
The GUESS Foundation Supports Peace Over Violence for Denim Day: Marking the Denim Company’s Largest-Ever Philanthropic Campaign
Los Angeles, CA / New York, NY – April 23, 2014 – GUESS, the global lifestyle brand famous for its iconic ad campaigns and trend setting denim, is proud to support with the Los Angeles based nonprofit organization, Peace Over Violence in its mission to end sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence.
Backed by the company’s first chain-wide in-store, digital and online philanthropic marketing campaign that will span across GUESS, GUESS Factory and G by GUESS retail concepts, it is the GUESS Foundation’s mission to encourage men and women everywhere to wear jeans on April 23, 2014 to take a stand against violence. The company will promote Peace Over Violence’s Denim Day amongst customers and the community with more than 400 stores across three brands under the GUESS?, Inc. umbrella participating with Denim Day messaging in storefront windows, in-store signage, email marketing, mobile marketing, social media posts and in-store pledge books that invite shoppers to join the movement by signing their name to commit to wearing jeans on Denim Day to raise awareness around violence issues and to show support for survivors.
“For years, The GUESS Foundation has been focusing its efforts on supporting foundations that are devoted to promoting nonviolence, tolerance, acceptance and equality,” said Paul Marciano, CEO and Creative Director of GUESS. “For the past 15 years, Peace Over Violence has made remarkable progress to end sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence and we are honored to be a part of their extraordinary movement and to leverage our broad reach to help get this important message out across North America.”
In honor of Denim Day 2014, GUESS?, Inc. and the GUESS Foundation will make a combined donation of $100,000 to fund Peace Over Violence. With this donation, the GUESS Foundation is privileged to provide victims with hotline crisis counseling, therapy sessions with licensed counselors, sexual abuse response teams to accompany rape survivors to hospitals and high school educational series on teen dating and violence prevention. In addition, volunteer training sessions will be given to crisis intervention specialists and legal advocacy services will be given to survivors.
About GUESS?, Inc.
Established in 1981, GUESS began as a jeans company and has since successfully grown into a global lifestyle brand. Today GUESS designs, markets and distributes full collections of women’s, men’s and children’s apparel as well as accessories. Throughout the years, the GUESS image has been portrayed in unforgettable, innovative campaigns that have made the brand a household name. GUESS is distributed throughout the United States and Canada in fine department and specialty stores, its retail and factory stores, and on its online store GUESS.com. GUESS has licensees and distributors in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Middle East. In addition to shopping online, you can find more information about GUESS at GUESS.com.
About the GUESS Foundation
Founded in 1994, the GUESS Foundation supports a wide range of causes whose messages promote nonviolence, tolerance, and equality to achieve social change. Leveraging our brand image of a strong, confident, empowered individual in a global landscape, we believe that every person deserves an equal chance to live the life he or she desires.
About Denim Day
Denim Day is a global movement that began in 1998 in Italy in response to a rape case that was overturned because the 18- year-old survivor was wearing tight jeans. The Italian Supreme Court ruled the attacker would not have been able to remove the jeans without help from the young woman, which therefore implied consent. Outraged by the verdict, women in the Italian Parliament and all over Italy wore jeans to stand in solidarity with the survivor, and Denim Day was born. In North America, Peace Over Violence has led the Denim Day movement for the past 15 years. To learn more about Denim Day, visit denimdayinfo.org or to register for Denim Day, please visit www.denimdayusa.org.
About Peace Over Violence
Founded in 1971, Peace Over Violence (peaceoverviolence.org) is a Los Angeles based sexual and domestic violence prevention center building healthy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence.