when politics meet fashion

Oftentimes, the world of politics and fashion collide in an almost subtle & indirect manner. But as of late, the connection between these two worlds have been growing stronger and stronger. Here's some prominent examples of how my two loves have been intertwining recently:

Ivanka vs. Nordstrom

Nordstrom, along with several other retailers, have chosen to discontinue selling Ivanka Trump's clothing line. This was in part influenced by an anti-Trump campaign called #GrabYourWallet which aimed to avoid retailers which carried any Trump branded products, including that of his daughters. The final decision, came down to the poor performance of her product line. The brand released a statement regarding the change, “Each year we cut about 10% [of brands] and refresh our assortment with about the same amount,” the statement said. “In this case, based on the brand’s performance we’ve decided not to buy it for this season.” Being that it was purely a business decision, you would think that the so-called self-proclaimed savvy businessman Donald Trump would understand that? On the contrary, of course. He referred to this decision as "unfair". Clearly, there's a serious gap of comprehending how a retailer makes importance business decisions in relation to their success.

Balenciaga meets Bernie Sanders

Balenciaga's Fall 2017 Menswear collection came as a bit of a pleasant surprise to me. In the midst of a fresh, post-Trump-being-inaugurated world, I've been hard-pressed to find anything that makes me stop thinking about the turmoil our nation is experiencing. So, one morning as I was scrolling through my Vogue Runway app, I was happy to see that Balenciaga had incorporated my main man's campaign logo into their collection. Bernie responded to this when Jake Tapper asked him about it on CNN (skip to 9:08):

Some have called it, "sign of fashion surrendering a political agenda to the altar of logo-driven consumption." Bernie has without a doubt had a strong and lasting impact on the American people, and this goes to show that he has had a global impact as well, even in the fashion industry.

Makeup brand Illamasqua refusing to sell to Trump supporters

British makeup brand Illamasqua has launched an "Anti-Fascism" pledge on their website in addition to focusing efforts to raise money for the Sophie Lancaster foundation, which is a charity that challenges prejudice and intolerance. “Illamasqua believe in the freedom of expression, equality and diversity,” founder Julian Kynaston wrote on the company blog. “That’s why we are horrified by President Trump’s actions to date. We refuse to remain silent while extreme right-wing populism gains momentum...wherever it is happening.“As such, we will never knowingly sell our products to people who support President Trump’s values.”

NYFW x Social Activism

This most recent NYFW demonstrated plenty of political standpoints. After reviewing several of the shows, it's beyond clear to see what side of history the fashion industry stands on. One that stands for equality for all, women's rights, welcoming immigrants, among a series of other issues.

The tone of several Fashion Week shows was set prior to any models hitting the catwalk because of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s decision to publicly voice its support for Planned Parenthood. They did this by creating large pink buttons with messaging that read, “Fashion stands with Planned Parenthood.” The buttons were packaged with a primer on the organization and hints on how to support it (via raising awareness and making donations).

Designer Jonathan Simkhai also pledged his support by donning a shirt that read "Feminist AF" thus furthering the message. “With women across the globe asserting their right to equality,” read the show notes, “Simkhai felt the need to create a look that would mirror the fortitude of their voices.”

In addition, online fashion publication Business of Fashion used the Tommy Hilfiger show in Los Angeles as the launch pad for the #TiedTogether initiative designed to establish the white bandanna “as a sign to the world that you believe in the common bonds of humankind — regardless of race, sexuality, gender or religion.”

At the Calvin Klein show, guests received the white cotton bandannas from the campaign which had the message “Unity, inclusion hope and acceptance: Join us at Calvin Klein wearing the white bandan[n]a #TiedTogether.”

The message of inclusiveness and acceptance was prevalent beyond this, most memorably at Christian Siriano’s Saturday afternoon show at the Plaza Hotel, where a model drew cheers of approval when she hit the runway in a pink silk, floor-length skirt and a black T-shirt emblazoned with the message, “People are people.” Siriano has been known for using models of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages in his runway shows.

Some other prominent displays of social justice responses include when Public School debuted their "Make America New York" hat, not even trying to be subtle.

Perhaps my favorite display of outright protest against the new presidential administration was demonstrated by Prabal Gurung. During the finale of their show, all of the models donned a white or black t-shirt with powerfully stated messages.

“The future is female,” read the first one; “3 million,” read the second. They were followed by messages “Femininity with a bite,” “Yes, we should all be feminists … (Thank you, Chimamanda and Maria),” “My boyfriend is a feminist, “My girlfriend is a feminist” and “Revolution has no borders.”

On they came, shirt after shirt, message after message, simple and straightforward. The t-shirts spread messages of wisdom, advice, support and calls to action. “Stay woke,” “Break down walls,” “Love is the resistance,” “Nevertheless, she persisted,” “I am a Gloria,” “I am a Malala” and “I am a Michelle.”

The last model hit Gurung’s runway wearing a black skirt with hand-embroidered silk fringe, a white bandanna knotted around her left wrist. Her white T-shirt bore five words in simple, black lettering, “We will not be silenced.”

See the magic for yourself (skip to 6:55)

I read a WWD article a few months ago that detailed the impact of political outcomes on the fashion world. The outcome of the election being what it was, has clearly already proven true to exactly what that article was saying. With hard times comes beautiful art, and that's precisely what we've seen here at NYFW and throughout the fashion world.