FOR THE LOVE OF WOMEN

BEYOND NOISE REFLECTS ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, AND ITS THROUGHLINES IN ART, CULTURE, AND FASHION.

By Beyond Noise

International Women’s Day was born in 1910—the brainchild of Clara Zetkin, German activist. She and over a hundred others, hailing from 17 countries, were gathered in Copenhagen for the International Conference of Working Women, advocating for better pay, protections, and female suffrage worldwide. The holiday was approved, unanimously.

This was an era of great unrest and great progress, as gender-based inequality came to a sort of head. In America, for instance, women couldn’t vote or own property; they had no reproductive or legal rights. They couldn’t attend certain schools, nor pursue prestigious occupations. At the same time, they were expected to balance childcare with an increasing pressure to enter the workforce, often domestically in wealthier homes or in dangerous factories. This all coincided with the struggle for civil rights, with abolitionists like Sojourner Truth bridging Black people’s oppression with that of women everywhere.

It wasn’t until 1975 that the United Nations recognized the holiday, proclaiming its member states would each dedicate a day to women’s rights. In the decades between, International Women’s Day had been tied to a slew of radical causes: protests following New York City’s Triangle Fire, which claimed the lives of over 140 working women and girls; marches in London for peace in the lead-up to World War I; a widespread Russian strike that led up to the Revolution, which played a key role in securing female citizens’ right to vote.

Despite the win, as we know all too well: This grasping toward gender parity was far from over. It carries on, of course, today. The new millennium marked widespread connectivity, and International Women’s Day was reinvigorated through online campaigns and social media. There was a new barrier: Some argued that women had achieved equal footing, and that further gender reform would come at the expense of men.

“With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality,” states IWD’s official board. “The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.” In America, we’ve seen a backslide: the overturning of Roe v. Wade ended the federal constitutional right to abortion; recent restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare threaten the welfare of trans women.

As a publication by women, for women, Beyond Noise honors the courageous individual and collective actions undertaken every day to protect our rights. Our passions—Art, Culture, Fashion, Beauty, Technology, and the Environment—are vessels and tools for social change, and that’s how we intend to use them. This International Women’s Day, we’re considering creativity’s cultural impact, all the way down the industry, highlighting projects that come together to form a modern frontier in the fight for women’s rights.

“Women are the backbone of the fashion and garment industry,” says Mariarosa Cutillo of the United Nations Population Fund. Her team joined forces with the Prada Group to develop the Fashion Expressions program, acknowledging the crucial work of female artisans. This all goes hand in hand with education. The Stories She Wears, 2025’s program, lends craftswomen in Querétaro, Mexico the opportunity to develop the artistry behind their traditional practices, promoting financial literacy, sustainable production, and the assertion of sexual rights.

Elsewhere in fashion, Repossi added to its Chromatic Sapphires collection, partnering with Moyo Gems to ethically source sapphires, paying mind to ecological and social responsibility. Female miners backed by TAWOMA (Tanzanian Women Miners’ Association) and Pact are assured safe work conditions, financial security, and a fair market. “We have created these pieces to render homage to the women who found them,” says Anne de Vergeron, Repossi’s CEO. Increased visibility for artisans is central to the project: “Each of these pieces represents the work of women in Tanzania who unearthed it.”

Dior bridged design with cinema, releasing HER DIOR. The documentary testifies to Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s history of collaboration with female artists, from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to Judy Chicago to Mickalene Thomas to Penny Slinger, and many more. Loïc Prigent, filmmaker, chases intimate anecdotes and the origin tales behind iconic pieces—like that We Should All Be Feminists graphic tee on Grazia Chiuri’s first runway. It signaled what we might expect from her tenure at Dior. “The subject, the essence, can be summed up in a single word,” the house asserts. “Sisterhood.”

The institutional art world follows suit. WOW Festival (staged by Women of the World) took over Southbank Centre, embodying the early spirit of International Women’s Day. Pressing issues got discussed: free childcare, inclusivity in sport, men and allyship, the future of sex, and climate change. (Recognizing the connection between environmental justice and women’s rights—as well as how women are disproportionately affected by climate catastrophe—is tantamount.) These talks were moderated by leading activists: Pat Mitchell, Hindou Ibrahim, Mikaela Loach, Farzana Khan. Across the pond, The Future Is Female at the Met is set to platform six straight hours of performance, curated by pianist Sarah Cahill, as a counter to the “overwhelmingly white, male-dominated canon of classical music.”

International Women’s Day has relevance in every corner, from tech (industry big hitters like Martha Lane Fox remarked on women’s massive contributions to the field, despite, to this day, making up only a quarter of its workforce) to toys (Mattel launched a new crew of Barbies in the likenesses of iconic girlfriends, like gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey) to tinctures. (Guerlain Beauty highlighted its UNESCO-backed venture to train female beekeepers—jointly offering in-roads to entrepreneurship, and protecting the planet’s pollinators.)

These efforts pale in comparison to the determination of women on the ground, going after their rights, making them a reality. As one example of a million: Campaigners in Warsaw just cut the ribbon on a reproductive health clinic, situated right across from Parliament. (Poland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.) They stood firm at the doors as protestors jeered.

The journey toward true equality, though, ought to be considered from every angle—through concrete action, through political lobbying, and through cultural exchange. We see reflected in the arts the hard work of women who came before, and of women who advocate for our rights still today. This International Women’s Day, we acknowledge the power of creative industry from inside of it—pledging to do our part and celebrating, always, the girls.