The new campaign builds on the Tory Burch Foundation’s Embrace Ambition global initiative, launched in 2017, and features powerful images and video of Natalia Vodianova, Anok Yai, and Tory, walking and talking about the importance of embracing ambition. Natalia says, “To me, ambition has to have purpose…” while Anok notes that “Your character is how you treat someone [who] can do nothing for you.” Tory sums up her personal philosophy and the deep sense of purpose that drives her: “Embracing ambition means empowering other women.”

Tory Burch Spring 2020 “Walk the Walk” Campaign (photo credit: Mikael Jansson)

“Walk the Walk” nods to Tory’s long-standing dedication to making a difference in women’s lives through her eponymous company and the Tory Burch Foundation, which provides access to capital, education and digital resources in the U.S., as well as a Fellowship program.

Tory Burch, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Tory Burch LLC and Founder of the Tory Burch Foundation said: “I wanted to design beautiful product that didn’t cost a fortune to help women feel confident—this concept and starting a foundation for women was part of the original business plan. After we launched our Foundation in 2009, I was careful not to talk about our efforts because I never wanted it to be perceived as marketing, but to be able to show that we were creating something truly impactful. Now that our Foundation has impact and scale, I am ready. We have provided access to $57 million in affordable loans to 3,500 women entrepreneurs in the U.S. through our Capital Program with Bank of America. Our Company is committed to our Foundation and supporting women, and has given $20 million to the Tory Burch Foundation from a percentage of product sales. We walk the walk and we are committed to supporting women globally in their efforts to do the same.”

Over the last ten years, the Foundation has emerged as a powerful resource and go-to destination for women entrepreneurs in the United States. In addition to the Foundation’s Capital Program with Bank of America, 10,000 women have created their business plans on the Foundation’s website; and 50 fellows annually receive mentoring and grants through its signature Fellows Program.

The new campaign’s call to #EmbraceAmbition echoes the Foundation’s ongoing global initiative to address the double standard that exists around ambition. The second Embrace Ambition Summit will take place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall on Thursday, March 5, 2020 in celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. The Summit will be livestreamed and accessible globally.

Natalia Vodianova and Anok Yai share Tory’s commitment to embracing ambition and creating positive change. Natalia has used her modeling platform to make a difference at home in Russia and internationally, championing children with special needs and their families and investing in women-focused businesses. Anok was working toward a biochemistry degree before becoming a model and is interested in challenging gendered cultural expectations.

Tory’s message of women’s empowerment was front and center at her recent Fall/Winter 2020 runway show at Sotheby’s in New York. Set against a backdrop of eleven powerful sculptures by the artist Francesca DiMattio, whose work “imbues the decorative with strength and power,” models walked the runway to a live performance by singer-songwriter Alice Smith of the 1963 classic “You Don’t Own Me.”