First Lady Jill Biden Speaks at the ‘Fashion for Our Future’ March in Bryant Park

First Lady Jill Biden was the surprise keynote speaker Friday morning at the "Fashion for Our Future" march encouraging voter registration this election year.

According to organizers, more than 1,000 industry professionals showed up for the 9 a.m. march, including Prabal Gurung, Michael Kors, Cynthia Rowley, Rebecca Moses, Thom Browne, Zac Posen, Tory Burch, Wes Gordon, Stan Herman, Jack McCollough, Lazaro Hernandez and Karlie Kloss. They walked from Herald Square to Bryant Park.

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The march, organized by the CFDA and Vogue, was a chance for the industry to stand up for democracy. Participants, including children in strollers, wore white Old Navy T-shirts with "Fashion for Our Future" on the front and "Vote" on the back, and carried banners and foghorns encouraging people to vote.

After each member of the crowd was individually screened by security upon entering Bryant Park, Biden spoke alongside CFDA President Thom Browne and fashion designer and activist Aurora James.

Biden said that as a young woman, she almost didn't vote for her future husband, Joe Biden, when he first ran for Senate. "It was the '70s, and I was a student at the University of Delaware. And there was a real buzz on campus for this young candidate. His name was Joe Biden. Everybody voted for him," she said.

"But I wasn't so sure. Look, my parents were Republicans. Politics wasn't a part of my life. But we were told that every vote mattered. We believed that we could make a difference, and so Joe won that election by just 3,000 votes, and it could have easily been the other way around," said Biden, who wore the official March T-shirt under a black Zadig & Voltaire blazer with "Love" emblazoned on the back in metal studs, skinny leather pants and gray sneakers.

Years later, one Saturday afternoon, she was asked out of the blue on a date. "This is a pretty young crowd. I remember I wore my hair down to my waist, like most of the men I dated. But that night, this handsome senator showed up at my door, but I took one look at his perfect suit and his leather loafers and I thought, 'Thank God, it's just one date.' But then we went out to dinner and you know, I said to myself, 'Thank God I voted for him.'"

She told the crowd: "So now your day may not begin or end with politics, but elections are about so much more. They are about the freedom for our children to learn without fear, without hate, without gun violence."

Pointing to the tragic school shooting this week, Biden said: "We all stand with Georgia in grief and prayer, but we must also act. We cannot accept these school shootings as a fact of life. [a reference to a comment made by Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance]"We need to ban assault rifles, and I know you care about the freedom to make your own choices. Be who you are, love who you love, the freedom, your freedom of creative expression. These freedoms are at risk because of court rulings, book bans, shrugs of apathy when people forget the power of the vote," Biden said.

She further noted: "Let's remember that the next president, your next president, will likely appoint new Supreme Court justices, your next senators will confirm them, and our children and grandchildren will have to live with those consequences. But first you get to decide. Elections matter."

She encouraged the audience to "vote, vote early and help others do the same.

Browne noted that this year marks the fourth anniversary of CFDA's partnership with "I Am a Voter." He said the first lady recognized the importance of involving everyone in the entire process.

James said she came to this country nearly 20 years ago "because I was also chasing a dream. Each of us here today represents a weave in the fabric that makes this country so special, that makes this country so beautiful, so strange, so magical, so fertile." She said that every person, whether they are a garment worker, a bus driver, a lawyer or a shoe designer, contributes "to our collective success."

"But this fall, that success is on the ballot. We've seen it threatened before, and there's no going back. For all of us to thrive, we have to act out of passion and love for this country. We have to show up and vote, because there's one thing I know too: Elections aren't just about marches. They're about opportunities to practice democracy to actually help shape and empower the people, the ideas, and the policies that empower all people, not just some people," James said.

She encouraged people to identify five people in their phone contacts and text them asking about their plans to vote, and then text five more friends.

Along the march, industry executives chatted and updated each other on the first day of New York Fashion Week.

"I'm so proud to be here and encourage everyone to go out and vote, especially when it comes to reproductive rights. [on the ballot] in my home state of Missouri. We have to do what we can. This is the least we can do," Kloss said.

"I think this is a really important message to spread," said Ken Downing, Halston's creative director. He said he has voted since he first got the chance and voted in the election of Ronald Reagan versus Jimmy Carter. "Not necessarily, I voted the right way," he said. "I've voted in every state I've ever lived in."

Fern Mallis said: "I hope fashion is our future. I think everything is in jeopardy right now." She said she was glad the industry is coming together on this. "Maybe this is something we can all agree on: vote and make a woman president," she said.

Buxton Midyette, vice president of marketing and promotions for Supima, said: "This is such an important moment. I think it's great that it's part of the conversation. Fashion is such an important industry in our country and we need to have a voice."

Julie Gilhart said she plans to call young people and encourage them to vote.

Ulrich Grimm, former Calvin Klein executive vice president, global design, shoes, bags, accessories and home, who is a consultant and professor at Parsons School of Design, said: "I've never seen so many fashion people outside Macy's at 7:45. It's really great when the community comes together, it's very strong."

Tracy Reese flew in from Detroit for the event. When asked what brought her here, she said, "Hope, urgency, advocacy, community and the future. It's all about policy and community." She said the CFDA used to host so many community events for other causes, like breast cancer and AIDS. "We miss those moments. This is one of those moments," Reese said. She said she helps people in Detroit register and make sure they get to the polls. "Michigan is a critical state and we want to make sure people have their voices heard," she said.

Deirdre Quinn, CEO of Lafayette 148, brought 14 people from her company, plus Sophie Elgort and Camila Perez. "It's so exciting. I think there are really important issues. I'm sure this is the most important election of our time," she said.

Gary Wassner said he came "to support voting."

"We can't be political [at this event]but we have to make the voices heard. We have to have a voice. We are a huge industry that has very little collective voice," Wassner said.

Rebecca Moses said she's obsessed with voting. She started a "Go Go Vote Girls" on Instagram after the Democratic National Convention, where she asks women to write a short letter every day about why they're voting for Kamala Harris. "I'm doing a portrait of them to document a monumental election," she said. "We're trying to get people to register and understand the difference between lies and truths. There's so much at stake in this election."

Launch Gallery: Jill Biden, Tory Burch, Michael Kors and More Attend CFDA Fashion For Our Future March

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