• by Melynda Fuller , July 10, 2019

As InStyle marks the third issue of its "Badass Women" edition, the magazine and stylist Karla Welch teamed up to create a merchandise line featuring T-shirts and hair clips emblazed with the slogan “Badass Woman.”

“I’ve been impatient to do this for a while, and we finally got there for the August Badass Women issue, thanks to the brilliant Karla Welch, who designed the T-shirt,” InStyle EIC Laura Brown told Publishers Daily.

Designer Saskia Diaz designed the limited-edition hair clips.

“Badass women have an ease to them, and so does a T-shirt. It’s something you can just throw on, because you have better things to do, you know? It just made sense.”

Brown was also responsible for creating an “In Style” T-shirt with Virgil Abloh to mark her first issue at the magazine.

The limited-edition T-shirt is worn by Janelle Monae on the cover of InStyle’s August issue. (Other Badass Women include Mindy Kaling, Abigail Disney, Carly Yoost and Brigadier General Jeannie Leavitt.) 

“They are so girlish at first glance, then you take a closer look and…boom,” said Brown. “I can’t wait to see pics of people wearing them,” adding men have also been scooping up the items.

The merchandise line comes as the Badass Women platform has marked exponential growth. Launched in 2018 with cover model Serena Williams — which also won the ASME cover of the years for Fashion and Beauty — the brand has expanded to include two issues a year, in February and August.

The platform has grown steadily across digital and social since then and has added a monthly Badass Women dinner series to its lineup, along with a Badass Woman of the Year Award presented at the InStyle awards each year, Brown noted.

“There is a great deal of energy around the Badass platform – with more exciting news to share next year,” said Brown.

In total, InStyle reports a cross-platform audience of more than 30 million. That includes print, online, digital and social media and live events.

In addition to launching the new merchandise line, the designers and publication made a donation to Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, a group that fights for fair wages and working conditions for restaurant workers across the U.S.

The August issue of InStyle will be available on newsstands July 19.