Celebrating Women’s History With Anne Klein

by Anne Klein
March 24, 2023
4 min read

At Anne Klein, we salute all the women around the world making positive changes in the world.

Our mission has always been equal parts image – serving working women worldwide with classic American style – and impact – supporting the causes and communities she holds dear.

Throughout our rich history, we’ve had the honor of partnering with ambassadors who embody the essence of our founder, Anne, who famously declared: “Clothes won’t change the world. The women who wear them will.”

We honor women all year long—however, as Women’s History Month comes to a close, we wanted to dedicate a special celebratory blog entry to five influential and inspiring women: Frontline worker and model Maggie Rawlins, actress and humanitarian Ilfenesh Hadera, supermodel and activist Joan Smalls, award-winning actress and philanthropist Gina Rodriguez; and founder and designer of the purpose-driven brand, Tropic of C, Candice Swanepoel.

Maggie Rawlins

Maggie Rawlins is so much more than just a model—though she’s been featured on prestigious magazine covers throughout the years, including Sports Illustrated.

During the pandemic, Maggie decided that it was her time to give back to her home, New York City. As an active nurse with a license, she began volunteering in the city as a healthcare worker to do her part during the hard pandemic times.

She told People Magazine:

“I feel like everyone has a role and responsibility to play during the pandemic. Since I have an active nursing license, I felt like [going back to nursing] was the right thing to do. Additionally, it was in New York City. That city has been so good to me, and I wanted to give back."

Though it was a nerve-racking experience, Maggie is proud of the work she did and the contributions she made—and we’re proud to celebrate her as well!

Ilfenesh Hadera

From Chicago Fire to Baywatch, Ilfenesh Hadera has left her mark on the television and film industry—with more to come, of course.

Though we love seeing her on the big screen, her activist work continues to inspire women worldwide, including us at Anne Klein.

Activism runs in her family—Hadera’s parents run the African Services Committee, an organization in New York City that helps refugees coming from Ethiopia to America, just like her father. She spent her childhood working during the summer with them to give back.

Today, she continues to champion creatives of color—particularly in the television and film industry. Ilfenesh Hadera is truly an inspiring woman to celebrate as Women’s History month comes to a close.

Joan Smalls

As the first Latina model to ever represent Estée Lauder cosmetics, Joan Smalls has had an impressive career in modeling. In fact, in 2013, she was featured in Forbes Magazine’s “World’s Highest-Paid Models”.

Her modeling career has come a long way since she started in 2007—however, what we really love about Joan is her philanthropic work.

For starters, she’s involved with a non-profit organization known as Project Sunshine: An organization that helps children in need with medical-related issues. She was also part of the “Jeans for Refugees” campaign, which is dedicated to helping refugees worldwide. Lastly, she was involved with the Garden of Dreams Foundation, another non-profit devoted to helping needy children.

Joan’s impact can be felt far beyond her modeling career—she’s exactly the kind of woman that embodies the overall mission and spirit of Anne Klein.

Gina Rodriguez

Gina Rodriguez is most known for portraying Jane Villanueva in the television series Jane the Virgin. Since beginning her career in 2003 with theater productions, Gina continues to make her mark on the television and film industry.

However, what might be lesser known about Gina is her charity and philanthropic work.

Gina involves herself with organizations near and dear to her heart—for example, the HSF, the largest non-profit organization for supporting Hispanic American higher education in the United States.

Beyond that, she is also involved in anti-bullying initiatives, such as The Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights. She helped them raise money for the “Be Good to Each Other Campaign” by designing a t-shirt that stood for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

Lastly, in 2017, Gina sang on the single “Almost Like Praying”—all profits of the song went toward relief efforts for Hurricane Maria.

Gina is the type of woman Anne Klein had in mind with her mission—we can’t think of many women who fit the bill more!

Candice Swanepoel

Candice Swanepoel, a prominent figure in the fashion and entertainment industry, has been featured in campaigns for multiple global brands such as Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, and Versace. She has also graced the covers of numerous prestigious fashion publications including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Numéro, i-D, Elle, V, and British GQ.

In 2010, Candice became the first South African model to walk for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and later became a Victoria’s Secret Angel.

In 2018, she launched Tropic of C, an eco-lifestyle brand with ethically sourced swimwear, which expanded into dance-inspired activewear in 2020.

Candice is not only active in the fashion world but also serves as a global ambassador of Mothers2Mothers, a charity dedicated to eradicating the pediatric AIDS pandemic in Africa.

This, among other things, makes her partnership with Anne Klein truly special, as Candice shares the brand's mission. She actively supports philanthropic causes and women's empowerment, joining a cast of partners who share Anne Klein's values.

Celebrating Women’s History With Anne Klein

Celebrating Women’s History With Anne Klein

At Anne Klein, we salute all the women around the world making positive changes in the world.

Our mission has always been equal parts image – serving working women worldwide with classic American style – and impact – supporting the causes and communities she holds dear.

Throughout our rich history, we’ve had the honor of partnering with ambassadors who embody the essence of our founder, Anne, who famously declared: “Clothes won’t change the world. The women who wear them will.”

Maggie Rawlins

Maggie Rawlins is so much more than just a model—though she’s been featured on prestigious magazine covers throughout the years, including Sports Illustrated.

During the pandemic, Maggie decided that it was her time to give back to her home, New York City. As an active nurse with a license, she began volunteering in the city as a healthcare worker to do her part during the hard pandemic times.

She told People Magazine:

“I feel like everyone has a role and responsibility to play during the pandemic. Since I have an active nursing license, I felt like [going back to nursing] was the right thing to do. Additionally, it was in New York City. That city has been so good to me, and I wanted to give back."

Though it was a nerve-racking experience, Maggie is proud of the work she did and the contributions she made—and we’re proud to celebrate her as well!

Ilfenesh Hadera

From Chicago Fire to Baywatch, Ilfenesh Hadera has left her mark on the television and film industry—with more to come, of course.

Though we love seeing her on the big screen, her activist work continues to inspire women worldwide, including us at Anne Klein.

Activism runs in her family—Hadera’s parents run the African Services Committee, an organization in New York City that helps refugees coming from Ethiopia to America, just like her father. She spent her childhood working during the summer with them to give back.

Today, she continues to champion creatives of color—particularly in the television and film industry. Ilfenesh Hadera is truly an inspiring woman to celebrate as Women’s History month comes to a close.

Joan Smalls

As the first Latina model to ever represent Estée Lauder cosmetics, Joan Smalls has had an impressive career in modeling. In fact, in 2013, she was featured in Forbes Magazine’s “World’s Highest-Paid Models”.

Her modeling career has come a long way since she started in 2007—however, what we really love about Joan is her philanthropic work.

Joan’s impact can be felt far beyond her modeling career—she’s exactly the kind of woman that embodies the overall mission and spirit of Anne Klein.

Gina Rodriguez

Gina Rodriguez is most known for portraying Jane Villanueva in the television series Jane the Virgin. Since beginning her career in 2003 with theater productions, Gina continues to make her mark on the television and film industry.

However, what might be lesser known about Gina is her charity and philanthropic work.

Gina involves herself with organizations near and dear to her heart—for example, the HSF, the largest non-profit organization for supporting Hispanic American higher education in the United States.

Beyond that, she is also involved in anti-bullying initiatives, such as The Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights. She helped them raise money for the “Be Good to Each Other Campaign” by designing a t-shirt that stood for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

Lastly, in 2017, Gina sang on the single “Almost Like Praying”—all profits of the song went toward relief efforts for Hurricane Maria.

Gina is the type of woman Anne Klein had in mind with her mission—we can’t think of many women who fit the bill more!

Candice Swanepoel

In 2010, Candice became the first South African model to walk for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and later became a Victoria’s Secret Angel.

In 2018, she launched Tropic of C, an eco-lifestyle brand with ethically sourced swimwear, which expanded into dance-inspired activewear in 2020.

Candice is not only active in the fashion world but also serves as a global ambassador of Mothers2Mothers, a charity dedicated to eradicating the pediatric AIDS pandemic in Africa.

This, among other things, makes her partnership with Anne Klein truly special, as Candice shares the brand's mission. She actively supports philanthropic causes and women's empowerment, joining a cast of partners who share Anne Klein's values.

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