Kerry Diamond didn’t set out to design a nearly sold-out Women’s March T-shirt, she just wanted to wear one to the march that spoke directly to why she was attending. But her like-minded readers of food and fashion-focused magazine Cherry Bombe, which she co-founded, went wild for her graphic tee. We caught up with Diamond at InStyle HQ to talk about what went into creating the tee and how wearing slogans across your breast is a fashion tradition brought back in full force.
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Michelle Obama’s kitchen garden, which gets prime placement on Diamond’s tee, started the conversation about healthier living in the U.S. and evolved into her Let’s Move! Initiative. It supports adding more fruits and vegetables, like those grown in the garden, back in to stateside diets. The now 2,800 square foot White House structure was established in 2009 but became a permanent institution just last fall. Diamond says her team admires Obama’s dedication for a healthier America, something that aligns directly with Cherry Bombe’s beliefs. “It’s not really political wanting people to eat better and be healthier,” she said. “That’s something that Cherry Bombe stands for 100 percent.”
According to Diamond, it was only natural for her team and “Bombe Squad” (what they call avid readers of the magazine) to take an active role in calling for protection of women and the garden. This is also not the first time Cherry Bombe has started conversation in the political sphere. Their “Food Fight” event held after the election last fall invited people involved in the food and social justice space to speak about their work and concerns.
“Some people definitely voiced political opinions, but it was more aimed at spotlighting the intersection of food and social justice, which I think is going be a big thing this year.”
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The T-shirt, in Diamond’s opinion, is less a leap into politics and more a continuation of what her team has already done. And they’ve gained a considerable amount of support seen on an Instagram post featuring Diamond with her rescue cat (“and reluctant model”) Dusty. Stars like Padma Lakshmi, who commented saying she would buy “dozens,” have bought shirts and thousands of other women have liked the post (2,600+ at last count). “It’s all stuff that we believe in: Women. Cats. The White House garden.”
Diamond said it makes sense for a magazine, nestled at the intersection of food and women’s fashion, to support women’s rights by attending the Women’s March in D.C. wearing these tees. “Women’s rights, first and foremost, and food are two things we really, really care about at Cherry Bombe. This was a way to combine those two things into one shirt.”
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Graphic tees, a longtime favorite in fashion, have seen a obvious revival this past year as top fashion houses like Dior and Prabal Gurung have peppered their runways with slogans like “We Should All Be Feminists” and Susan B. Anthony quotes. But Diamond acknowledges that their shirt is not for everyone.
“A lot of people are worried about putting their necks out there and wearing what they believe across their chest, because it’s a tricky atmosphere right now,” Diamond said. “But you can’t be complacent about what you believe in. That is what’s behind the T-shirt, and that is what’s behind us going to the march.”
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Cherry Bombe is donating $5 from every T-shirt sale to the Women’s March Fund. Every shirt is made in America at a small company in LA. For more information on purchasing a shirt, go to cherrybombe.com.