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These days have been filled with fashion. From the fashion weeks taking place all over the world to the loss of Karl Lagerfeld, fashion has often been on the headlines. But what is fashion talking about these days?
Although fashion is often perceived as something aesthetic and superficial, it embodies the change of times, and frequently it embraces social activism and politics. As Andreas Behnke wrote in the illuminating book The International Politics of Fashion: Being Fab in a Dangerous World (2016), 'Fashion constitute a vast discourse about society and its cultural values, politics is called upon to add its perspective to this conversation'.
Here, we explore some of the moments in which fashion, as other forms of art, got political.
When designers speak up: Politics on the Runway
It is not rare for fashion designers and brands to get political. Among the most recent examples, there is Jeremy Scott, creative director of Moschino. Last September, at NYFW 2018, he walked the runways wearing a tank top saying "TELL YOUR SENATOR NO ON KAVANAUGH" .
The slogan addresses a hot topic in American politics at the time: the appointment of Brett M. Kavanaugh as an Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States, despite the fact that some women accused him of rape.
During the same fashion week, other designers used the runway as a platform to raise their voice against the current states of affairs in America. The Mexican-born designer Raul Solis, fashion designer and founder of LRS, had each model walking the runways wearing provocative political messages like "Fuck Your Wall" on their underwear. A clear message against the wall that President Trump wants to build on the border with Mexico.
Politics through Fashion Photagraphy
But political activism in fashion is not limited to the runway, but has recently found echoes in other areas. One of the them is photography.
The Dubai-based Tunisian photographer Moez Achour is using fashion photography to raise awareness on political issues. In his last personal project, entitled 'The Real Issue', he uses fashion photography with the aim to shade a light on serious matters like the refugee crisis, guns control, security and pollution.
As he said during an interview with Mille World, the inspiration for this works arrived after he became a father and he became more conscious of the world around him. Aware of the fact that usually people, in particular on social media, are more inclined to 'consume' fashion images over those of reportages, he decided to use his skillset to create images that while being visually attractive, were also revealing the real issues that today affect people all over the world. Among them, there are migrations, pollution and climate change.
His works managed to transform the purpose of fashion photography, creating a series of pictures that bear meaning and allow the spectators to feel connected with the world and its challenges.
Credits: Moez Achour
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Bibliography:
Behnke, A. (Ed.). (2017). The International Politics of Fashion. London: Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315765082
Credits Cover Image: Moez Achour