#NOEXCUSE - Bride Armour

Carling Black Label’s #NoExcuse hosted an experiential launch for their “Bride Armour” campaign at The Venue in Melrose Arch. The campaign insight is 1 in 3 women experience intimate partner violence (IPV), with women facing abuse at the hands of a man who vowed to love and protect them. Therefore, #NoExcuse believes that the time has come for men to make a new vow; a vow to love, protect and NEVER ABUSE women.

To drive this narrative, ahead of 16 Days of Activism; The Bride Armour campaign will spotlight IPV and the gown will be a symbolic representation of how a woman going into marriage needs to protect herself from her intimate partner. #NoExcuse partnered with the renowned avant-garde fashion designer, Suzaan Heyns, to create the bridal gown designed using data from cases of IPV shared by Lifeline (with the consent of the victims). In a moving fashion film showcased at the launch event, viewers could hear the women narrate their experiences while scenic viewers of a bride preparing for a wedding, starkly contrasted by the graphic audio recordings of the women.

The event commenced with a showcase of men’s suits displayed on the runway, juxtaposed by a model wearing the BrideArmour gown. From the bulletproof bodice to the fire-resistant train, every stitch, layer and seam of the gown has been carefully placed to demonstrate the brutality experienced by women at the hands of their intimate partners.

Influential couples: Lerato and Phetola Makhetha; Kabelo and Gail Mabalane as well as newlyweds, Dr Musa and his wife, Liesl Laurie-Mthombeni shared their thoughts on GBV and spoke about why they support the #NoExcuse movement. Father-A-Nation’s Craig Wilkinson was the final member of the panel, providing insight in to the work #NoExcuse has been doing in communities.

Speaking about the campaign and what the brand is hoping to achieve, Carling Black Label Brand Director, Arne Rust, had this to say.

Our ultimate goal for this campaign is to re-write wedding vows to acknowledge the promise to never harm your partner – a commitment that all South Africans can make to oppose domestic violence. We are petitioning the Department of Home Affairs to amend the current wedding vow to include this commitment that all South Africans can make when they get married to oppose gender-based violence.

As a constant reminder of the vow, the six Virtues of a Champion Man will go on pack to drive the #NoExcuse messaging throughout the year. To sign the #NoExcuse petition visit change.org/noexcuse, sign the petition and make the vow a reality.

As SA’s most awarded beer, Carling Black Label acknowledges and understands its position as a beacon of masculinity and uses this influence to empower South African men to positively impact society.