(New York) Renowned American designers at the forefront of a march for the vote, Jill Biden calling for the protection of freedoms against Donald Trump: New York Fashion Week opened on Friday, more political than ever, two months before the presidential election.
Before a new marathon of parades, the sector gathered at the foot of the flashy windows of Macy’s department stores, in the heart of Manhattan, for an unprecedented demonstration to highlight the importance of a “crucial” vote on November 5.
T-shirts by designer Zac Posen (Old Navy, Gap) with the slogans “VOTE” and “fashion for our future” on the back, the high priestess of American fashion and editor-in-chief of Vogue Anna Wintour, along with several famous designers such as Thom Browne, Michael Kors and Tory Burch, crossed a section of Broadway Avenue, preceding about a thousand people, models, influencers, salespeople and designers.
The event, organized by the Fashion Association of America (CFDA), was officially intended to be “non-partisan.” But the appearance of a surprise star, First Lady Jill Biden, confirmed that the industry, known for its progressive credentials, wanted to send a clearer message and weigh in on the campaign, while Anna Wintour has already participated in fundraisers for the Democratic camp.
“Freedoms”
Often present at fashion shows, such as the day before at the unscheduled Ralph Lauren show, the wife of outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden called for the protection of “freedoms”, such as those of “being who you are” and “loving who you love”. Freedoms that she said are “threatened by court decisions, book bans, apathetic shrugs when people forget the power of the vote”.
She also deplored the umpteenth shooting, causing four deaths, which occurred on Wednesday in a high school in the state of Georgia, by calling once again for “the ban on assault rifles” that Joe Biden failed to have adopted by the divided Congress.
Before her, designer Aurora James, known for designing the dress emblazoned with “TAX THE RICH” that left-wing muse Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore to a gala at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in 2021, launched a vibrant plea for an open America, “where each of us contributes to our collective success.”
“But this fall, that success is at stake. It has been threatened before, and there is absolutely no turning back the clock,” she added, in a thinly veiled allusion to Donald Trump’s first term (2017-2021).
“Bubble”
While playing on values of openness, big brands usually seek to distance themselves from political quarrels in the United States, for fear of being targeted by one camp or another.
New York Fashion Week in February 2017, in the wake of Donald Trump’s election, nevertheless took a much more offensive tone against the Republican billionaire, with shows denouncing his immigration policy and defending women’s right to control their own bodies.
“Here we are in the bubble of the bubble of the bubble,” “we are in New York,” a Democratic stronghold, “and we are in fashion,” jokes Ulrich Grimm, an accessories designer and professor at the renowned Parson School of design, among the protesters.
Next to him, designer Joy Gryson says she worries about freedoms, “especially for women, people from diverse backgrounds, LGBTQ people.”
Nearly a hundred brands will present their spring-summer 2025 collections, including many emerging talents and some heavyweights like Tommy Hilfiger.