Monica Lewinsky wants to get out the vote – one £300 trouser suit at a time

Last Friday, the LA-based brand Reformation, best known for its silky, floral dresses, teased an image from a forthcoming workwear collection. The pictures on Instagram featured a woman with her back turned to the camera wearing a black pencil skirt, white shirt and pointy heels in an office overlooking a city skyline. “We’re giving you the power. With some help from a friend,” read the cryptic caption.

Fast forward to Monday and that “friend” was unveiled as Monica Lewinsky. In the images, the writer and activist wears various pieces from the collection, including a cream trouser suit (from £298), a belted leather trench coat (£798) and cherry-red flared midi skirt with a matching sleeveless top (£298).

But there’s more to the campaign than great silhouettes. With the US presidential election only eight months away, Reformation has teamed up with Vote.org, a nonpartisan organisation that helps register people to vote. The Reformation homepage now has a “voting hub”, featuring information on how to vote, and the brand is also donating all of the proceeds from a £78 sweatshirt emblazoned with the words “You’ve Got the Power” to the non-profit.

“Our voice is our power,” Lewinsky said in a statement released by the brand. “It’s pretty simple: Voting is using our voice to be heard and it’s the most defining – and powerful – aspect of democracy. Voting is always important, but the stakes are especially high this year, with voter frustration and apathy threatening to meaningfully impact turnout.”

In the past, many fashion brands have distanced themselves from politics, fearing it would alienate shoppers. But in recent years they’ve had to change tactics to capture the attention of an ever-more politically engaged customer base. A