In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Set Active just dropped a new collection in support of the Susan G. Komen foundation — but now the activewear brand is facing intense backlash.
Earlier this week, Set Active announced their new limited-edition line, Set for a Cure, which promised that a portion of each purchase would go to breast cancer research. But when fans began to ask just how much money would be going to the foundation, they were disappointed to learn that only 2% of proceeds would be donated.
Founder Lindsey Carter confirmed the donation amount in her Instagram channel, explaining that their 2% donation would equate to over $10,000.
“I’m really proud of that number. And here’s why it’s 2% and not 20% – running a business costs money. Like labor, shipping, marketing, keeping our team paid, all of it adds up fast. Our margins aren’t what people think they are,” Carter wrote on the platform.
She continued to note that while they could have donated a “bigger percentage,” it would have been a one-time thing — but by keeping it to 2%, they could sustain their ability to support other organizations.
Carter’s message didn’t sit well with fans, who flooded the comments on the brand’s official Instagram account.
“I feel played – 2% is not ‘shopping for a cause.’ Set lost a customer today,” one follower wrote while another added, “2% of proceeds is insulting.”
“Only 2% of the proceeds actually go to charity — that’s just a few dollars from your purchase. This is textbook example of pink-washing,” another Instagram user wrote. “A reminder to look into ‘charitable’ campaigns and read the fine print (not that they were upfront about this until people called it out).”
After facing extensive criticism from followers, the brand admitted that they “fell short in how we launched today’s Breast Cancer Awareness drop.” In response to the backlash, they added that they would be significantly increasing their donation.
“Breast cancer is a cause that’s deeply personal to many people on our team – and our initial $10,000 contribution didn’t reflect the weight of this cause, or the heart of our community. We let our focus on business operations make us lose sight of our ‘why’, and we are truly sorry for that,” the brand shared in a statement.
They continued, “After deeper discussion internally, we are proud to share that we have since increased our commitment to $95,000. In addition to what we’ve pledged to the Susan G. Komen foundation, we’ll be diversifying our donations across multiple organizations, such as @metavivor, to ensure we’re making the largest possible impact.”
In the comments fans were pleased to know that Set Active had increased their contribution to $95,000, although some were still upset about the brand’s initial decision.
Many items from the collection have now sold out — while select pieces are available for pre-order.