Tag Against Crime

Runway Collection “DNA” takes a stand against sexualized violence
One in every five women experiences sexualized violence in her life. Homosexual and transgender people face violence more than twice as often. Only a fraction of these assaults are reported, and even fewer have criminal consequences. That’s why fashion label maison blanche in collaboration with Jung von Matt LIMMAT is dedicating its latest collection – shown today at the New York Fashion Week – to “DNA”, one of the most important pieces of evidence in a sexual crime. All washing tags will feature a special warning.

Sexual violence is ubiquitous. And all too rarely has any real consequences. Victims are left alone to deal with what they have experienced, and often don’t dare to report assaults out of shame and fear of the consequences or the reactions of family, friends and police. And if they do, many reports do not lead to a conviction. In most cases, these acquittals are based on insufficient evidence. First and foremost, because the DNA of the perpetrator could not be secured by the law enforcement agencies. The victim’s clothing, which may contain traces of the DNA of the perpetrator, can become an all-important piece of evidence.

Swiss fashion label maison blanche by founder Yannik Zamboni – winner of Making the Cut on Amazon Prime Video – picks up on this fact with its 2024 Runway Collection which bears the name “DNA”. If clothes are washed after a sexual assault, valuable DNA evidence is lost. For this reason, all garments in the new collection are equipped with a washing tag with a corresponding warning: “Do not wash if you’ve just been sexually assaulted.” The so-called “Tag Against Crime” provides information on how to secure as much DNA evidence as possible in the event of an assault. With this, maison blanche founder Yannik Zamboni is further advancing the discourse on how society deals with sexualized violence.

The look of the “DNA” collection also visually reflects the theme of DNA, with the prints on the clothing being based on the gel electrophoresis process, the procedure for DNA analysis. The collection was presented to the world today, September 10, at New York Fashion Week in the nightclub “The Box Soho”. In a picture-perfect show, a loud and diverse cast presented the unique looks. The responsible art director was Ben Prince, who has already staged shows for Louis Vuitton on behalf of Virgil Abloh.

“The name of the current collection has a double meaning. On the one hand, the looks are a maximum expression of our DNA as a fashion label through their focus on deconstruction and abstraction and the consistent reduction to the non-color white, and on the other hand, we address the role of DNA evidence in the case of sexualized violence,” explains Yannik Zamboni.

Creating awareness for the taboo topic of sexualized violence is a matter close to Zamboni’s heart. “It is estimated that only 9% of rapists are prosecuted, and only 3% spend time in prison. 97% of rapists walk free. And LGBTIQA+ people are also disproportionately affected by sexualized violence. Despite these figures, the topic is still taboo. With our collection, we not only educate, but also address the fact that many perpetrators still go unpunished. We believe it is in our DNA to raise our voice, to fight back. With this action we want to empower all of us to do this. And thus to recognize the power of our DNA – in every respect,” says Yannik Zamboni.

The campaign was created in close collaboration with Jung von Matt LIMMAT and is supported by the Swiss organizations “Women’s Shelters Switzerland and Liechtenstein” and the “Foundation against violence against women and children”.