Red Flags is a domestic violence prevention initiative that brings together the efforts of The Wake Up Foundation, Fashion Days, and the advertising agency Human.
In November 2023, Fashion Days and Human approached The Wake Up Foundation with the idea of dedicating a special collection to support our work. As a result, six T-shirt designs were created, each illustrating a different “red flag” – early warning signs of abuse in a relationship. The social media campaign significantly increased public awareness of domestic violence, generating more than 2 million views, while all proceeds from the sale of the collection were donated to the work of The Wake Up Foundation.
In November 2025, the three organisations joined forces once again for a new prevention campaign – Red Flags Collection 2. This time, the collection featured a series of scarves designed not conceal abuse but expose it through their messages and visual elements. All proceeds from the collection were dedicated to supporting the work of The Wake Up Foundation.
The Wake Up Foundation gave its expertise on domestic abuse throughout the campaign. Our role included identifying and defining the red flags, establishing the ethical framework for sharing personal stories, and ensuring a sensitive and responsible approach to presenting survivors’ experiences.
As the organisation managing Bulgaria’s largest active community of domestic abuse survivors, with more than 11,000 members, we enabled the stories of women who trust us every day to reach a wider audience.
A central element of the campaign was the song “Dad, I Fell in Love with a Tough Guy” by Bulgarian artist Papi Hans. Both the lyrics and the accompanying music video reveal the mechanisms and escalation of abuse within intimate relationships. Since its release in November, the music video has generated more than 1,051,600 organic views.
Ahead of November 25 – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – Sofia Municipality, led by Mayor Vasil Terziev, supported the initiative by broadcasting the music video throughout Sofia’s metro system and tram network during December.
On February 14, Valentine’s Day, Sofia Municipality presented an outdoor exhibition on Lovers’ Bridge in Sofia, featuring stories shared by survivors as part of the campaign. The stories were also displayed on billboards across the city. The Wake Up Foundation provided these testimonies from women who courageously chose to share their experiences and help others recognise abuse and seek support.
In February, at the invitation of the Ministry of Education and Science and Sofia Municipality, we participated in a pilot educational initiative in 37 schools. The song and campaign materials were used as tools to facilitate discussions with students about recognizing early signs of abuse and building healthy relationships.
Campaign Results:
· 100% of the proceeds from the special scarf collection were donated to support the work of The Wake Up Foundation
· Generated vital funding for the sustainability of the organisation
· Contributed to the prevention of domestic violence through increased public awareness
· Reached more than 1.7 million people
· Secured national media coverage on Bulgaria’s three largest television networks – Nova, bTV, and BNT
· Featured in interviews and publications by Radio Free Europe, Darik Radio, and 11 additional national and regional media outlets;
· Won two Gold FARA Awards, with Human recognized as Agency of the Year and Fashion Days as Advertiser of the Year;
· Earned nominations at the world’s most prestigious advertising festival, Cannes Lions 2026, in the categories PR Lions – Content Creation & Integration and Entertainment Lions for Music – Use of Original Composition.
