Megan Thee Stallion attends the 5th Annual Diamond Ball benefiting the Clara Lionel Foundation at Cipriani Wall Street on September 12, 2019 in New York City.
Taylor Hill/WireImageInternational Women’s Day may have been yesterday, but March is Women’s History Month and it’s just getting started. On Monday (March 8), fashion lifestyle brand Fashion Nova and rapper Megan Thee Stallion announced that they’re teaming up for “Women On Top,” a new initiative supporting women entrepreneurs and women doing inspirational things.
Until March 31, Fashion Nova Cares and the rapper will be spotlighting and giving away $25,000 or more to “inspirational women doing great things.” A total of $1M will be donated to various, preselected women, entrepreneurs, and organizations.
“I’m excited to collaborate with Fashion Nova Cares on the Women on Top initiative and be part of giving one million dollars to support women-led businesses and organizations,” said Stallion in the official press release. “These donations are life-changing and will help women of all ages get one step closer to making their dreams a reality.”
“At Fashion Nova, women empowerment and ongoing advocacy for diversity and inclusion have always been part of our guiding principles,” said Richard Saghian, Founder and CEO of Fashion Nova. “We believe the world will be a better place when all women are provided the opportunity to maximize their potential. This program was created to give women greater advantage as they pursue their passions.”
Recipients will be announced on Fashion Nova Cares initiative’s official website. Last year, Fashion Nova partnered up with Cardi B to donate a total of $1M to support people who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 1000 people were given $1,000 each. You can find read the names and their words of thanks on Fashion Nova’s website.
On the fashion front, Megan launched her very own Fashion Nova collection last November to bring more representation to the popular clothing brand. “I just realized how big of a lack of representation there is for curvier girls, or taller girls, or girls with bigger feet,” shared in an interview. “Everybody is not just a cookie cutter size, so I just want to make sure that starting with this collab we have better representation with just women in general.”
At the BTS concert in Tokyo on Friday (April 17), j-hope opened up to ARMY with heartbreaking news. His grandmother, who played a major role in raising him and had always been proud of his journey with the group, has passed away.
Speaking to the packed crowd at the Tokyo Dome, the K-pop star chose to be open with fans about what he was going through. “Honestly, this might be a bit of a heavy thing to share, but I really wanted to express how I’m feeling today,” he said, translated from Korean into English. “Right after we arrived in Japan, I got the news that my maternal grandmother, the one who raised me from when I was little, had passed away.”
“I felt completely stunned and did not really know how to process it at first, but being around the members, sitting down together for meals, and focusing on rehearsals helped me more than I thought it would,” j-hope went on. “My grandmother was always incredibly proud, not just of me but of all the members. She truly believed in what we do. So I feel like if she was watching from above today, she would have loved every second of it.”
He closed by thanking the audience for making his first performance after the loss feel meaningful and full of support.
BTS are currently touring in support of their new album ARIRANG, which has just earned a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Following three opening shows in Goyang, South Korea, the group is set to perform twice at the Tokyo Dome before heading abroad for the North American leg. Before the tour wraps in March next year, they will also visit Latin America, Europe, Australia, and several other regions across Asia.
On the same day as the first Tokyo concert, j-hope’s solo interview with Rolling Stone was released. During the conversation, he spoke about stepping into a leadership presence within the group. “I think that’s my role on the team,” he shared. “It just comes naturally. It feels strange to even call it a role, but I just try to handle things as they come and support the other members in any way I can.”
Additional reporting from Billboard Korea.
