Fashion Week Launches with a Political Statement

Before the models took to the runway at New York Fashion Week, industry insiders took to the streets of the city for a different cause.

On Friday, the Council of Fashion Designers of America in partnership with Vogue magazine and the non-profit I Am a Voter, led a non-partisan march dubbed “Fashion for Our Future.” The event, which began in Herald Square and ended in Bryant Park (the former home of New York Fashion Week), was meant to galvanise the public to register to vote at the US Presidential election, now less than two months away.

The crowd included American fashion industry heavyweights such as Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and designers Thom Browne, Michael Kors and Cynthia Rowley, all decked out in white Old Navy t-shirts with the word “Vote” emblazoned across the back, designed for the occasion by Zac Posen, Gap Inc’s recently appointed executive vice president and creative director. There were intermittent chants of “V-O-T-E, Vote!” across the eight block walk, as participants waved American flags and signs that read “Fashion for Our Future” in red and blue lettering.

Passersby who snapped selfies with famous faces may or may not heed the message, but the over 1,000 participants — all people who worked in the industry — certainly hoped so.

“It’s important that people feel excited and that no one feels casual about the stakes [of the election],” said Jackson Wiederhoeft, founder and creative director of their namesake label. “We take fashion week seriously because we take the fashion industry seriously and our consumers and what they care about.”

At the march’s conclusion in Bryant Park, Browne, the chairman of the CFDA, echoed this sentiment in his remarks, underscoring the fashion’s industry’s role in shaping this year’s election and global sentiment and urging attendees to register to vote.

“Fashion is not just about what we wear. It’s a powerful voice and platform for what we stand for,” he said.

Friday’s march was a continuation of the CFDA’s civil engagement work. Since 2020, the organisation has had an ongoing partnership with I Am a Voter, and has also teamed up with a number of progressive organisations including reproductive justice organisation Planned Parenthood and FWD US, a criminal justice reform platform. Scattered throughout the park and where Browne spoke were volunteers from I Am a Voter, helping attendees register to vote.

While the organisers placed emphasis on the non-partisan nature of the event, instructing participants to not wear merchandise or carry signage endorsing either political party, some attendees signalled their allegiance in different ways. Wintour wore a scarf designed by Browne as part of a collection of campaign merchandise for the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. In a surprise appearance, First Lady Jill Biden emphasised that the fashion industry’s “creative expression” was under threat from Republican policies — a remark met with great applause.

“If you care about the freedom to make your open choices, to be who you are, love who you love …. these freedoms are at risk because of court decisions, book bans and trunks of apathy,” she said.

Fashion has historically leaned left, and across the industry, a number of designers have declared their support for Harris and progressive causes. In August, Designers for Democracy, a coalition of 16 American designers including Vera Wang, Ulla Johnson, Gabriela Hearst, and Joseph Altuzarra, created a capsule collection of t-shirts, hoodies, scarves and tote bags for the Harris campaign. Last weekend, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour hosted a fundraiser for the Harris campaign alongside designer Tory Burch and Aurora James, founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge, in the Hamptons.

On social media, the march was met with mixed reactions. While commentators praised the effort, others noted the fashion industry’s contradictions around sustainability.

“This is very comical, coming from an industry that has some of the most damaging, predatory practices in labour and the environment. But glad they got their steps in,” read a comment on Vogue’s Instagram.

Despite the fervour, marketing experts expect for most fashion companies to return to messaging around voter engagement as opposed to brands explicitly endorsing a particular candidate in a highly contentious and divisive election this November.

In August, Patagonia announced that it will be giving its nearly 2,000 US employees a day off next month to vote early or volunteer, and Glossier said that it is teaming up with When We All Vote to encourage voter participation.

“Fashion is so integral in shaping culture,” said Mandana Dayani, founder of I Am A Voter. “People just really need to be inspired to participate and show up and be excited about their ability to be a voter, and how important what that identity is and why it matters.”