With fashion month coming to a close and the election looming closer, politics has taken center stage in today’s fashion industry. Political awareness has surged in the fashion industry this past month, and arguably even throughout this election year, with notable and creative representations of campaign support trailing along.
The intersection between fashion and politics is nothing new. Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum said “fashion functions as a mirror to our times, so it is inherently political.”
One designer who embodied this intersection is the late Dame Vivienne Westwood. Rising to prominence in London during the 70s, Westwood took advantage of the gray area between fashion and politics and pushed it forward, not just in her designs, but in how she went about living.
Westwood’s Spring Summer 2006 collection is a standout example of this intersection. Among the collection of asymmetrical skirts, plaid fabric, and dramatic make-up, there was an underlying message that Westwood was trying to push throughout the line.
She displayed shirts with slogans like “I’m Not A Terrorist ” and “AR” which stands for “active resistance to propaganda in her collection. Coupling these statements with subversive design elements such as fitted jackets and tousled, asymmetric ball gowns, she pushed her recurring narratives throughout the line.
Ethically, she has been seen pushing the envelope through political statements to bring heightened awareness towards these various issues. Political issues that Westwood aimed to bring to light ranged from political economy to activism to global warming.
According to Vivienne Westwood, Westwood believed that “corruption is global, and capitalism is as corrupt as a rotten apple.”Other issues include her role in activism where she was “an activist against war and for human rights” since the 70s.
However, it’s not just designers who’ve used fashion to intersect with politics. Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, has been known to use her position to advocate for political agendas and raise awareness around different social issues.
During 2012, Wintour utilized her position to garner more support for Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Edward Helmore, a reporter for The Guardian wrote that during the election season, she was a “top bundler” for the campaign, attending state dinners, holding a Democratic fundraising event at her house in New York and raising more than $500,000 for the Obama Victory Fund.
Wintour even used her publication to help place a spotlight on the former first lady, Michelle Obama. Krissah Thompson of the Washington Post noted that the pair had a relationship during the early days of the Obama Administration and that Vogue has been utilized in “documenting” the rise of Michelle as a force in the fashion industry.
This year, however, it appears that while politics looked like a side element in the fashion world, it’s moved its way to the spotlight in recent weeks.
New York Fashion Week (NYFW) 2024 serves as a great example of this with political awareness being heightened for many designers and event planners. This awareness didn’t exist on just one side of the aisle but on both ends of the spectrum.
On Sept. 6, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue partnered together for the “Fashion for Our Future” march, a non-partisan demonstration in New York to “champion democracy ” and encourage voter registration and voting in this upcoming election.
Joining in the march was First Lady Jill Biden who praised Wintour as one of the organizers, claiming how she “transformed the fashion industry” with her involvement within the political world.
This demonstration has led to questioning its legitimacy of non-partisanship, insinuating that the crowd of designers and staff weren’t “on the fence about anything” as this industry has “always leaned left.”
While NYFW took place in Manhattan, in Long Island, Republicans and Trump supporters held their own fashion show.
Cindy Grosz is the creative director of the America First Warehouse, which is a “patriotic venue” that aims to “preserve the American Dream” through conservative values. Grosz said fashion has been a recurring theme during this year’s election.
Grosz, fellow Republicans, and the other designers attended the fashion event at the warehouse because they wanted “a safe space to showcase their designs.” Models were draped in a clad of red, white, and blue clothing, while also heavily portraying and placing imagery of Republican candidate, Donald Trump throughout their apparel.
While the event itself may have sparked an array of reactions, it doesn’t hide the fact that this event, similar to the events and showcases mentioned prior, all have one thing in common; this year, the fashion industry seems to have placed politics as a focal point.
Inversely, in his Spring/Summer 2025 collection, Willy Chavarria decided to tap into classical Americana tropes to help present his narrative on today’s America with his self-titled brand. According to Vogue Runway, Chavaria’s collection revolved around the idea of “our America” from various perspectives.
Taking place at Wall Street with an illuminated American flag in the background, the models came out in clothes representing “the American working class” with “classic zip-up jackets, tonal shirts and tie combos,” and other elements representative of that theme.
Chavarria said he drew inspiration from “movements like the United Farm Workers Movement” and considered those factors along with the presidential election period.
During NYFW, “Kamala Couture” was the highlight for many events. Support for the current Vice-President was on full display. Designers like Aurora James, creative director of Brother Vellies, hosted the New York Fashion Week edition of Hotties for Harris, an event for “young, cool supporters” of Kamala Harris.
The fervor for Harris’ election extended even further than parties. Notable figures such as fashion designer Jenna Lyons and Derek Blasberg were sporting Harris and Waltz merchandise, boldly emphasizing their support for the running candidates.
Ella Emhoff, Harris’ stepdaughter, held the spotlight as well as a model for multiple brands during the event.
Emhoff made several appearances during the week, walking in Coach’s fashion show, attending J.Crew’s catalog launch at the New York Public Library, and other brands such as Tory Burch, Collina Strada, and Sandy Liang. Her appearances during the week served as a symbol of how politics and political figures have made themselves a talking point in the fashion world, similar to Jill Biden’s appearance in the Fashion for Our Future march.
This election year is proving to be a monumental one. Both candidates promise differing futures for America, prompting urgency to pay special attention to the election. It appears that the fashion industry is noticing this as well.
With the current political environment of today, the fashion industry is thriving off of the intersectionality that comes with it.
The question is: Will fashion continue giving politics a bigger role in the industry? With the trajectory of the country, it seems likely. Nevertheless, as the fashion industry raises general awareness, more people may be encouraged to pay attention and, in turn, rally voters alternative voters.
Copy edited by Anijah Franklin
