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Lingua Franca

Location:

New York, New York
:

Sweater Company
Formation:

2016
Founder and CEO:

Rachelle Hruska MacPherson

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Lingua Franca is a luxury clothing brand based in New York City founded by Rachellele Hruska MacPherson. It has promoted feminist activism and opposition to President Donald Trump.  1  2  3

Activism

Lingua Franca was first started in 2016 by Rachelle Hruska MacPherson following the first election of President Donald Trump. She used her sweater business to advance left-of-center activism by stitching the phrase “Give a Damn” onto the sweaters sold, which later became the brand for the products. Following President Trump’s second election in November 2024, MacPherson announced on the company website her “post-election thoughts” claiming Trump was a “hubristic con artist with only yes men in his corner…[with] the power to erase centuries of progress.” 1  4

Lingua Franca has used the revenue from its products to fund activist projects.  5 These include the Emerge Project, a collaboration between Lingua Franca and organizing group Emerge to train female candidates to run for office on the Democratic ticket; 2 and the Resistance Series, a feminist organizing project to organize protests and advocacy against specific policies by the second Trump administration that the company labels as anti-feminist.  3

Sweaters sold by the company commonly have left-of-center phrases stitched on such as “Time’s Up,” “I Miss Barack,” and “I Am An Immigrant.” Lingua Franca has sent proceeds from its projects to several left-of-center organizations including the Women’s March, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Women’s Rights Project. 5

Lingua Franca previously partnered with U.S Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to create a sweater design for promoting the release of Sen. Gillibrand’s children’s book and to raise funds for the First Book Org group. MacPherson hosted Gillibrand at a Lingua Franca store where the senator shared her plans to run for president in 2020. 5

In 2019, Lingua Franca and MacPherson partnered with activist Diana Weymar to release and promote a new line of sweaters with alleged quotes from President Trump stitched onto the fabric. MacPherson hosted a show for Weymar to display her sweaters at a Lingua Franca store. 6  Similar slogans embroidered on Lingua Franca sweaters have included “I didn’t vote for him,” “Healthcare > billionaires,” “Tits up,” “Love Trumps hate,” and “Abortion is healthcare.” 7

Celebrity Partnerships

Lingua Franca has partnered with several actors, activists, and artists including Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Lopez, Martha Stewart, and Zooey Deschanel . 8  1 In 2018, Meryl Streep appeared with Tom Hanks on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” wearing a Lingua Franca sweater. 9

In 2025, Lingua Franca also partnered with the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” placing quotes from the musical on the brand’s sweaters. 10

Controversy

In August 2025, a story in the Free Press alleged that Lingua Franca had refused to release a brand of sweaters with the phrase “Proud Zionist” stitched onto the front after it was requested by pro-Israel activist Alison Himel. Following the story’s release, the company argued that it was due to “technical and stock issues,” but Himel claimed it was due to anti-Israel bias.  7 Later, Himel alleged to have received an email from Lingua Franca stating, “After careful internal discussions, and given the current political climate in the Middle East, we’ve made the difficult decision not to produce sweaters that directly reference this ongoing conflict.” 11

Leadership

Rachelle Hruska MacPherson is the founder and CEO of Lingua Franca.  12 In 2020, the success of her brand led The Cut to name MacPherson as a pioneer in the “resistance socialite,” a group of luxury entrepreneurs and business owners who use their companies to promote left-of center social change. 13 MacPherson has also been featured for her activism in ELLE fashion magazine and by the Poetry Society of America. 14  15

References

  1. “About Us.” Lingua Franca. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://linguafranca.nyc/pages/about-us
  2. “Emerge Project.” Lingua Franca. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://linguafranca.nyc/collections/emerge-project
  3. “The Resistance Series.” Lingua Franca. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://linguafranca.nyc/collections/the-resistance-series-pamela-hanson-shoot
  4. Hruska, Rachelle. “Post Election Thoughts.” Lingua Franca. November 6, 2024. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://linguafranca.nyc/blogs/news/post-election-thoughts
  5. “Give A Damn.” Lingua Franca. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://linguafranca.nyc/pages/give-back
  6. Cascone, Sarah. “To Channel Her Frustration, One Woman Started Embroidering Donald Trump’s Most Outrageous Quotes. She Inspired an Army of Needleworkers.” ArtNet. June 13, 2019. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/tiny-pricks-project-lingua-franca-1572865
  7. Sulkin, Maya. “You Can Buy This Sweater. Unless You’re a ‘Proud Zionist.’” The Free Press. August 14, 2025. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://www.thefp.com/p/you-can-buy-this-sweater-unless-youre-a-zionist?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  8. Nyatawa, Jon. “Creighton alumna’s sweaters launched her fashion career — and now they’re in Oprah’s closet.” Creighton University, Alumni and Friends. March 10, 2025. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://alumni.creighton.edu/news-events/news/rachelle-hruska-macpherson-fashion-designer-feature
  9. “Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep on a Possible President Oprah Winfrey.” YouTube. January 9, 2018. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV7L8OIPtrc
  10. Abourizk, Michael. “‘Hamilton’ teams up with Lingua Franca for limited-edition clothing line.” Broadway News. July 28, 2025. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://www.broadwaynews.com/hamilton-teams-up-with-lingua-franca-for-limited-edition-clothing-line/
  11. “@antisemitismtoday Post.” Instagram. August 15, 2025. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/DNYWzd2x7z0/
  12. “Rachelle Hruska MacPherson – @linguafranca.” Substack. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://substack.com/@linguafranca
  13. Meltzer, Marisa. “The Ladies Who Launch Lingua Franca and the rise of the resistance socialite.” The Cut. January 7, 2020. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://www.thecut.com/2020/01/lingua-franca-and-the-rise-of-the-resistance-socialite.html
  14. Hyland, Véronique. “Can a Fashion Brand Still Resist in 2025?.” Elle. February 6, 2025. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://www.elle.com/fashion/a63677989/lingua-franca-fall-2025-review-rachelle-hruska-interview/
  15. “Stopping by with Rachelle Hruska MacPherson.” Poetry Society of America. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://poetrysociety.org/poems-essays/stopping-by-with-rachelle-hruska-macpherson
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