Kate Spade New York Adds Two Global Change-makers to Its Social Impact Council
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Kate Spade has enlisted actress and entertainer Sofia Wylie and founding principal of Showa Women’s University Career College Mika Kumahira to its Social Impact Council.
The Social Impact Council is a collective of women’s empowerment and mental health leaders from around the globe. The two global change-makers join the leadership council, which includes actress Taraji P. Henson, to work with Kate Spade New York in bringing their perspectives to this cohort of female leaders who look to integrate mental health into the empowerment agenda of women and girls globally.
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Since it embarked on this goal, the brand has reached 66,000 women and girls with mental health and empowerment resources and services to date.
“My biggest dream is to be a part of making an impact by joining a force that is set out to make a positive difference in lives,” said Wylie, who is also a mental health advocate. “Being in the entertainment industry, there are soaring highs and deep lows, while living in a world where people care more about individual success than the state of their mental health. I am honored to join the Kate Spade Social Impact Council to advocate for putting mental health and emotional well-being at the forefront of our priorities, because what does success mean without happiness?”
Kumahira, a Japanese management consultant, social sector leader and educator, said the Showa Women’s University Career College was founded in 2013 “to empower professional women leaders and strengthen their leadership skills to create a better future for a diverse and compassionate society.”
In addition, in recognition of Women’s History Month, Kate Spade has launched a digital content miniseries this month via the company’s Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube that highlights the collective power of women’s voices and the company’s “It All Started With” spring campaign series, in partnership with artist Rebecca Clarke.
In efforts to keep mental health and women’s empowerment at the center of Kate Spade New York’s ongoing social impact work, the brand and its foundation will donate more than $3 million in 2023 to provide access to care and community resources to improve the mental health and empowerment of women in its communities around the world. These partnerships include organizations such as Black Girls Smile, Crisis Text Line, Girls Inc. of New York City, Abahizi Rwanda, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and The Trevor Project.
Kate Spade New York and its Social Impact Council will introduce first-of-its-kind research at the Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, in July on the role and impact women’s mental health plays in achieving long-term empowerment.
“Social impact efforts to champion women’s empowerment and prioritize the mental health of women and girls has been, and continues to be, at the heart of the Kate Spade New York brand,” said Liz Fraser, chief executive officer and brand president of Kate Spade New York. “Our Social Impact Council is a powerful collective of culture-changing advocates who propel positive change. As the council enters it second year, we’re proud to have Sofia and Mika join us in our mission, and continue our momentum in making a meaningful impact for women and girls around the world.”
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