The fashion designer Norma Kamali, 72, has experienced the ebb and flow of the feminist movement for decades.
“We scream a lot and then we hit a wall and we scream a lot and we hit a wall,” said Kamali in an interview Monday with Cheddar. The only way to avoid repeating that loop: “We have to speak to men.”
Only through dialogue will feminists be able to be turn their activism into real change, she said, adding, “we have to say ‘what are your fears? We don’t want to take your power, we want to share the power with you.'"
Kamali launched the [“Stop Objectification”](http://www.stopobjectification.com/) campaign in 2012 to spur change in the fashion industry, which she said has historically thrived on objectifying women.
In an interview with [Teen Vogue](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/norma-kamali-female-objectification), Kamali said the campaign was in part inspired by her own experience being objectified. During her first job interview, she told the magazine, “the man interviewing me asked me to put my portfolio down and turn around for him."
Last year, news media investigations exposed the inappropriate ー and possibly illegal ー behavior a number of powerful men, including the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The exposure of such predatory behavior gave rise to the widespread #MeToo movement, in which women shared their stories of harassment as a form of empowerment.
Kamali said that women's stories are helping men and women discuss the issues of gender equality and workplace conduct with a more open mind, doing away with preconceived notions of what a man or a woman should do based on traditional gender roles.
“There isn’t a handbook,” she said. “You don’t have to open a door for women, we’re totally OK with opening the doors ourselves. We want respect and we want to share that respect with men.”
The designer who invented the sleeping bag coat celebrated 50 years in the fashion industry earlier this year. She says [designers of the future](https://cheddar.com/videos/norma-kamali-on-the-future-of-fashion) will stay relevant by adapting to more automated supply chains and finding creative ways to engage with customers.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/norma-kamali-celebrates-50-years-of-fashion-innovation).
Oracle soars as it cashes in on the AI boom, Plus: Starbucks shares continue to fall under its new CEO, and does anybody actually want a new iPhone Air?
Swedish buy now, pay later company Klarna is making its highly anticipated public debut on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, the latest in a run of high-profile initial public offerings this year. The offering priced at $40 Tuesday, above the forecasted range of $35 to $37 a share, valuing the company at more than $15 billion. The valuation easily makes Klarna one of the biggest IPOs so far in 2025, which has been one of the busier years for companies going public. Other popular IPOs so far this year include the design software company Figma and Circle Internet Group, which issues the USDC stablecoin..
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison wrested the title of the world’s richest man from longtime holder Elon Musk early Wednesday as stock in his software giant rocketed more than a third in a stunning few minutes of trading. That is according to wealth tracker Bloomberg. A college dropout, the 81-year-old Ellison is now worth $393 billion, Bloomberg says, several billion more than Musk, who had been the world’s richest for four years. The switch in the ranking came after a blockbuster earnings report from Oracle. Forbes still has Musk as the richest, however, valuing his private businesses much higher.
Aurimas Sabulis, CEO of Dextall, unveils how AI‑driven prefabricated façades slash design time by 80%, labor by 87%, and accelerate affordable housing delivery.
Online broker Robinhood Markets will join the S&P 500 index Online broker Robinhood Markets will join the S&P 500 index as its stock rides higher on a cryptocurrency wave.
