Eileen Fisher risks alienating customers to support Joe Biden

Eileen Fisher has announced her support of presidential candidate Joe Biden and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris. This is the first time that the fashion designer has publicly endorsed a presidential candidate, and she acknowledged in her statement that she risks "alienating customers and employees" through this move.

Known best for minimalist design characteristics and sustainably-conscious manufacturing values, Fisher and her eponymous womenswear brand have never been involved in politics in the past. The designer explained in an Instagram post why she feels she must speak up ahead of the upcoming election on November 3.

“I’ve hesitated to endorse a candidate in past elections, because the risk of alienating customers and employees is real—and not one I was willing to take," she wrote. "But having led a company committed to doing business in environmentally and socially responsible ways for 36 years, I now feel it’s my duty to advocate for a president who understands the peril that our planet, and its people, are in. That’s why I support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris."

The nine-page Instagram post continues on to explain why Fisher believes that a Biden/Harris administration would be best equipped to promote positive change on the issues about which she feels most strongly. These issues include women's empowerment, human rights and the environmental impact of business.