Launched on International Women’s Day, Alissa White-Gluz, Doro, Floor Jansen & Lzzy Hale join an influencer lead campaign to stop Human Trafficking

Social business, Secret Projects works with women in India, training them to become Makers of products, sold globally to prevent human trafficking and promote women's empowerment.

The Secret Sari Dress ™ is a sassy and ingenious statement of empowerment and social action, designed to unfurl from a tiny pocket in the back of the garment. It is made in West Bengal at a sewing unit employing young women who have been trafficked or are vulnerable to human trafficking. If each young woman can earn £20 a month, she is far less likely to end up in the complicated web that trafficking victims find themselves in.

It was whilst watching Alissa White-Gluz fronting Arch Enemy at Hellfest last Summer, that Fritha Vincent, founder of Secret Projects, realised that the female voice of Rock & Metal music was the perfect voice to spread this message to the world. Sharing the story with her cousin, fellow India lover and singer songwriter Heather Findlay, the cousins pledged to collaborate in creating and launching a new Secret Project - the #sherocks Secret Sari Dress Campaign.

Heather got to work by curating a palette to suit and forming a network of musicians. Fritha rallied the Makers and sourced the fabrics and the women began to sew...

She Rocks Secret Sari Dress Collection

Instagram channel @secretsaridress played host to the unfolding of women’s power across the world of Rock and Metal, bringing new hope to the prevention of Human Trafficking in West Bengal.

Word of the campaign spread fast amongst the Rock & Metal community, manifesting quickly as a 3 figure team of global influencers, ready to post and share pictures of themselves in the dresses made in India on International Women’s Day. Each post included the link above directing fans to where they could buy the dresses.
"I've decided to bring a beautiful project that I believe in into the light. Let's lift our sisters Up and show the battles in our own country, but All women around the world. Introducing the Secret Sari Dress - Prevention Through Production"
~ Lzzy Hale, Halestorm

Doro Pesch - 'Queen of Metal' wears 'Little Leopard' from the #SheRocks Secret Sari Dress Collection.

Carrie Grr, Steven Wilson - 'Hand Cannot Erase' cover girl, wears 'Funky Leopard'
An exciting boost for the campaign's launch came with key influencers

Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy and Floor Jansen of Nightwish launching collections on pre-order in their own names. The vocalists will each choose fabrics for a collection of their own, to be released at the beginning of Summer.
The FLOOR Secret Sari | The ALISSA Secret Sari
“It is absolutely inspiring to me that women have the confidence, empathy and strength to bind together across cultures and across the world to support, protect and encourage one another.”
~ Alissa White-Gluz, Arch Enemy

Support did not stop there. Male figures across Rock & Metal also got behind the campaign by sharing videos of themselves shouting out the campaign on the day, from guitarists Gus G, and David Kilmister, to Dan Reed, to rock bands Thunder and Collateral. Some also wore the Saris in their own pimped way!

[Check out @secretsaridress IGTV channel to watch their videos]

‘Every child worthy of a better tale’ ~ Nightwish
With no 'middle man' or bureaucracy standing between Secret Projects and the empowerment of the Makers, sales of Secret Sari Dresses, directly impact the lives of women and their children in West Bengal.

Every 100 Secret Sari Dresses sold = training & work for 5 women

To celebrate the launch of the campaign, The Big Red in London hosted a live Shoot & Social event for the team. On International Women’s Day, drop-in influencers were invited to come along, have a drink and be photographed in the dresses at a fun, laid back shoot where they'd meet the driving force behind the campaign.

Dubbed The Ultimate Festival Dress, the Secret Saris were sold at the event, at which, as well as Clarins donating £100 goody bags to the first 50 models to be photographed, sponsorship also arrived from Gibson Guitars, Siren Management, Nine Lives UK and Metal Talk.

“ The Secret Sari Dress gives us the opportunity to get fashion into social action. Whilst the #sherocks collection dresses have sold like wildfire, pre-orders for the Alissa & Floor dresses have gone staggering well! We urge any of our e xisting influencers, or anyone who is interested in the getting behind the campaign and launching their own pre-order, to come forward and get involved!”

~ Fritha Vincent, Founder - Secret Projects.

As a result of the International Women's Day call to action, TV presenter / journalist, Kylie Olsson who attended London Shoot & Social and has since launched her own pre-order collection as part of the campaign.

Nik West, bass player for Prince & Quincy Jones; Fiona Brice, violinist/composer/keyboard player for Placebo, Kelly Jones, Jarvis Cocker and others along with Zepparella guitarist and composer Gretchen Menn are newest influencers to sign up to launch their own Secret Sari Collections, launching soon!

“ I love the simplicity of the campaign and I have been blown away by the generosity and enthusiasm it has received from around the world . The synergy between the Secret Sari and the #SheRocks movement just works! When we start to consider the possibilities of such a meeting of minds, and hearts, it feels like this is just the beginning really...”

~ Heather Findlay, Singer Songwriter & Campaign Co-leader

Due to the roaring success of the campaign so far, everyone is asking, "What's Next..?"

New ideas to keep the flame burning are being discussed daily and with thanks to an introduction from campaign champions Nuclear Blast Records, YouTube have offered to give the campaign their backing and it can now be revealed that more inspired collaborations are in the making!

Special thanks goes to the vivacious energy of key campaign champions, model and presenter, Whitney Ribbins; Lisa Cope & Claire Harris of Nuclear Blast; Lisa S Johnson author of 108 Rockstar Guitars and Lisa McKeown of Siren Management and Nine Lives UK. See the table below for a full roll call to all influencers so far....

The campaign will continue run throughout 2019 and Heather & Fritha invite more influencers to get in touch and join the action!

To get involved email

Heather: info@heatherfindlay.co.uk or Fritha: fritha@secretprojects.org

Artists
Profession

Alissa White-Gluz
Vocalist / Arch Enemy

Annie Laviour
Model

Britt Lightning
Guitarist / Vixen

Carrie Grr (Karolina Grzybowska)
Model / Album Cover Girl / Steven Wilson / Hand Cannot Erase

Charlotte Command
Vocalist / The Command Sisters

Collateral
Whole band

Emma Wilson
Vocalist / Model

Emily Lynn
Vocalist / Australian Pink Floyd / Thunder

Fiona Brice
UK Composer / Arranger / Performer

Dan Reed
Singer Songwriter / Guitarist / Dan Reed Network

Danny Bowes
Vocalist/Thunder/Manager/Solid Music Management

David Kilminster
Guitarist / Singer Songwriter / Roger Waters / Steven Wilson

Dianne van Giersbergen
Vocalist / Ex Libris | Designer / Precious Metal Jewelry

Doro Pesch
Singer Songwriter / Queen of Heavy Metal

Floor Jansen
Vocalist / Nightwish / Northward

Gretchen Menn
Guitarist / Composer / Zeperella / Solo

Gus G
Guitarist - Firewind / Ozzy Ozzborne

Hayley Griffiths
Vocalist - Hayley Griffiths Band/Zio

Heather Findlay
Singer Songwriter