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Pomellato’s 2026 IWD Campaign Spotlights Economic Abuse
“The Price of Freedom” campaign video for International Women’s Day confronts the quiet violence of financial control.
Pomellato’s ninth annual International Women’s Day video stars (clockwise from top left) Amelia Gray, Kerry Washington, Jane Fonda, Benedetta Porcaroli, Isabella Ferrari, Sara Nuru, Mayu Ishikawa, Andy Díaz, Angélique Gérard, Pomellato CEO Sabina Belli, Paco León, and Michelle Monaghan.
Milan—Pomellato has released its ninth annual campaign in honor of International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8th, focusing this year on economic abuse.
The Kering-owned brand’s “The Price of Freedom” campaign centers on a video starring international figures from many disciplines speaking up about economic abuse as a pervasive yet often invisible form of gender-based violence.
The choral video confronts financial control as a type of abuse that “leaves no bruises, yet can strip women of choice, dignity, and freedom.”
“Economic violence is invisible, but its impact is devastating,” said Sabina Belli, CEO of Pomellato.
“When a woman loses her economic freedom, she loses the power to choose her own life. Financial independence is dignity. It is the foundation of true freedom.”
Economic abuse is seen as a systematic pattern of behavior that restricts a woman’s ability to acquire, use, and maintain economic resources.
It often begins gradually and can be disguised as care, protection, or “support” but can evolve into confinement, undermining self-determination and autonomy.
The campaign uses research commissioned by Pomellato and conducted by the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan to spotlight three recurring ways that economic violence takes shape.
It can be seen as restriction, limiting or monitoring access to money, accounts, and decisions; sabotage, undermining study, work, time, or opportunities to prevent independence; and exploitation, using a woman’s resources, income, or labor to reinforce an unequal balance of power.
Pomellato says these dynamics are rarely isolated incidents and are often sustained patterns that normalize dependence and make leaving increasingly difficult.
Its campaign video advocates for financial autonomy as a social responsibility and a fundamental right in an invitation to speak, listen, and notice behaviors that are often minimized or misunderstood.
It also notes that addressing economic abuse is “not a war between genders, but a necessary path toward shared prosperity, dignity, and a more equal society for everyone,” said Pomellato.
The Kering-owned brand’s “The Price of Freedom” campaign centers on a video starring international figures from many disciplines speaking up about economic abuse as a pervasive yet often invisible form of gender-based violence.
The choral video confronts financial control as a type of abuse that “leaves no bruises, yet can strip women of choice, dignity, and freedom.”
“Economic violence is invisible, but its impact is devastating,” said Sabina Belli, CEO of Pomellato.
“When a woman loses her economic freedom, she loses the power to choose her own life. Financial independence is dignity. It is the foundation of true freedom.”
Economic abuse is seen as a systematic pattern of behavior that restricts a woman’s ability to acquire, use, and maintain economic resources.
It often begins gradually and can be disguised as care, protection, or “support” but can evolve into confinement, undermining self-determination and autonomy.
The campaign uses research commissioned by Pomellato and conducted by the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan to spotlight three recurring ways that economic violence takes shape.
It can be seen as restriction, limiting or monitoring access to money, accounts, and decisions; sabotage, undermining study, work, time, or opportunities to prevent independence; and exploitation, using a woman’s resources, income, or labor to reinforce an unequal balance of power.
Pomellato says these dynamics are rarely isolated incidents and are often sustained patterns that normalize dependence and make leaving increasingly difficult.
Its campaign video advocates for financial autonomy as a social responsibility and a fundamental right in an invitation to speak, listen, and notice behaviors that are often minimized or misunderstood.
It also notes that addressing economic abuse is “not a war between genders, but a necessary path toward shared prosperity, dignity, and a more equal society for everyone,” said Pomellato.
The notable figures from around the world that Pomellato invited to share its message are:
Jane Fonda, an activist and Academy Award-winning actress who has starred in its IWD campaigns previously;
Kerry Washington, an actress, producer, director, author, and activist;
Actress Michelle Monaghan;
Italian actress Benedetta Porcaroli;
Isabella Ferrari, an Italian actress and ambassador for Save the Children;
Amelia Gray, a model and mental health advocate;
Sara Nuru, a German model, entrepreneur, and social advocate;
Angélique Gérard, a French tech leader and author;
Mayu Ishikawa, captain of Japan’s women’s national volleyball team;
Paco León, a Spanish actor, director, producer, and screenwriter;
Andy Díaz, a Cuban-born Italian triple jumper champion; and
Belli.
The Price of Freedom video is a call to action, encouraging people to recognize economic abuse and break the silence.
“Financial independence is not just about money. It is about dignity. It is about choice. It is a fundamental human right. When women step into economic freedom, everyone gains,” said Pomellato.
As part of its commitment to combat domestic violence, Pomellato has also renewed its support for CADMI (Casa di Accoglienza delle Donne Maltrattate), Milan’s first anti-violence center for women, and for the Kering Foundation’s Los Angeles-based partner FreeFrom, an organization that works to provide long-term financial security for survivors of domestic violence.
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