One hundred and seven years ago, a passionate crowd of 5,000 women, wearing purple and gold sashes, marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. They were suffragettes demanding the right for women to vote. The National American Woman Suffrage Association had adopted the colour purple from the Women’s Suffrage movement in Great Britain. Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, the editor of London's weekly publication Votes for Women, purposefully chose to brand the suffragettes using colour. “Purple,” she states, “as everyone knows, is the royal colour, it stands for the royal blood that flows in the veins of every suffragette...” Purple, along with green and white, came to define the ever-growing women’s rights campaign in Britain. To show unity at rallies, suffragettes were encouraged to wear stylish clothing promoting the very same colours. The movement’s decision to forego a symbol or logo and identify themselves through colour proved very successful.
Later, in the 1960s, the second wave of feminism in the USA saw women's initiatives like the National Organization for Women (NOW) and International Women's Day carry on the tradition by adopting the colour purple in their visual identities.
At the recent American Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC, Lady Gaga made quite a fashion statement with her oversized dove brooch and flowing red gown. As did inaugural poet Amanda Gorman in her stunning yellow outfit. However, by wearing purple, Vice President Kamala Harris and former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham-Clinton made political statements. They chose a colour that has a long association with women’s rights and symbolizes the empowerment of women everywhere.