From the Magazine
October 2019 Issue

LGBTQ+ Activist Adam Eli on His Work With Gucci’s Chime for Change Initiative

The queer activist and creator of Chime Zine talks brand awareness and calls for action.
chime gucci shirts
Photographs by Josephine Schiele.

Proceeds from Gucci’s most political new pieces—mustard yellow t-shirts emblazoned with the iconic 70s slogan “My Body My Choice”—benefit the brand’s Chime for Change initiative, which, since its inception in 2013, has raised more than $15 million in the service of women and girls worldwide. (This October, the campaign will launch a project called Let Girls Dream, in collaboration with the release of Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s animated film Sitara and the NGOs Equality Now and Girls Not Brides.) And for no money at all, one can pick up the second issue of Chime Zine, a galvanizing force for gender equality that’s available at select Gucci stores and bookstores. Here, we spoke to the editor-in-chief, activist Adam Eli.

Vanity Fair: Can you describe the aims for the zine?

Adam Eli: It's my dream that the Chime Zine will be used as a tool for activists around the world. Unlike a traditional publication or a magazine, it's not meant to be editorial. Of course there is beautiful art and the layout is really nice, but it's really meant to be a call to action. It does this by, first of all, amplifying certain voices that can be difficult to get to, through an enormous, incredible channel, and also by connecting people: at the end of each Zine you can find all of our contributors Instagram handles and ways to contact them. There are tangible ways throughout the Zine to get involved in different projects.

VF: Who are some of the contributors in the upcoming issue?

Adam Eli: An issue that runs through the course of our Zine is femicide, or gender-based murder, that stems from the victimb being a woman or presenting as one. We asked No Estamos Todas [an anonymous pair of illustrators who work in tandem with other artists to raise awareness about gender-based violence in Mexico] to talk about their project; they fight with both community building activism, and with art.

VF: Gucci's Chime for Change is primarily focused on women and girls, while the zine encompasses an even more expansive take on gender equality. Was that always the plan?

AE: When I was approached, I was asked to edit a Zine about global gender equality. I took that direction really clearly. Global gender equality is about the full range of genders—of course women and girls are the gender minority—but other gender minorities as well.

VF: What’s the benefit of teaming up with a global luxury brand like Gucci?

AE: A luxury brand like Gucci has resources that activists, institutions and NGOs simply don’t. In order to make a change, you need influence and resources to do so, and fashion brands are in a unique place where they have tremendous influence.

VF: Given that this will be available in Gucci stores, it’s possible that people who might not seek out a Zine like this will now be exposed to it.

AE: Yes, and while that's totally true, what I find even more exciting than that is that in addition to being available in certain Gucci stores, the Zine is also available for free in a variety of book shops around the world. It's truly global in that it's being distributed one in places where a Zine like this might not be found, but also in places where Zine's like this are found. It means it’s targeting an audience that's open and aware and excited about it.

There are people all over the world fighting for gender equality. No matter how dark things may seem, they are, and it is my dream and hope that Chime Zine can amplify their efforts and connect them—even just a little.

This story has been updated.

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