Kerry Washington Designs Purple Purse To Raise Awareness for Critical Women's Issue

With her popular show "Scandal" returning for its fifth season this past Thursday, Kerry Washington has had a very busy week but the 38-year-old actress took some time out of her hectic schedule announce her latest off-camera project: a purple purse to raise awareness about financial abuse, which keeps women from leaving abusive relationships.

"Financial abuse is the hidden weapon," Washington explained to Time. "We don't necessarily see it the way you would see a black eye. But it is the number one reason women stay in abusive relationships. And even when they leave, it's the number one reason why they go back."

She wants to bring awareness to this issue that sometimes goes completely unnoticed, and that's exactly what her Allstate Foundation Purple Purse will do. She and Tommy Hilfiger's wife, Dee Ocleppo, designed the purple bag together. It will be sold limited edition and it will help women in need by allowing them the resources to break free, as well as raise money for over 160 foundations involved.

Allstate came to her with this idea last year, but she didn't fully understand how a purse would hold any significance on this matter, until now. "Abuse is hard to talk about," she explained to People. "So we thought a purse is a beautiful object that can get the conversation started. It is a symbol of a women's financial domain."

The purse, which is a cross-body clutch with a faux croc exterior and bright peacock color interior, became available September 25 exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue for $350, according to Mashable. Twenty five percent of all proceeds will be donated. The most exciting part about this purse is that it comes with an extra charm, which can also be purchased on its own, so "you can turn any bag into a purple purse."

"It's such a daunting vision to end all violence against women and girls, but this was so exciting to me because it's such a concrete way to tackle this problem," Washington continued to explain to People. "It's fun to work on women's empowerment and be girly about it. It incorporates all of who I am-my love of fashion, art, design and human rights. For me, it's a way of saying I believe in the end of domestic violence, and I believe in the end of financial abuse, and I believe in the ability of a woman to support herself financially."

Tags

Kerry Washington, Domestic violence, Tommy Hilfiger