As election season heats up you can bet politics will find its way into many areas of your life, even the unsuspecting world of fashion. Some might say the only real weight fashion holds in conversation with politics is the first lady’s choice of attire. Frankly, there is more to the fashion and politics relationship than the buzz worthiness of who designed Michelle Obama’s Inaugural ball gown. From blatant favor to subtle cues, fashion has a role in politics, one that is all the more present in the midst of a presidential election.
This time eight years ago you could easily find any major celebrity wearing the very popular “Rock the Vote” t-shirt. There was much more to that trend than your typical style must-have of the moment. Young voters were being called out by the main influencers to go out and exercise their right to vote and the vote was generally in Obama’s favor. Now, Obama is finishing up his second term. We can’t say he got there directly due to the subtle suggestion of a t-shirt trend but that 2008 election saw an unusually high volume of young voters, the majority of which voted in favor of Obama.
Now, in a very different election we are seeing mingling of fashion industry superstars and politics. Anna Wintour, Vogue editor and queen of fashion, has on many occasions shared her admiration for Hillary Clinton. Her latest support for the ‘I’m With Her’ campaign came two days before New York Fashion Week. Wintour teamed up with the likes of Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg and Jason Wu to raise money for Clinton’s campaign the best way she knows how, a fashion show. Clinton’s daughter Chelsea even attended the fashion show and rooftop party, co-hosted by Clinton’s top aide, Huma Abedin. There are only two months left before Election Day and it looks like the fashion world may have reeled in a large amount of votes for the Clinton campaign.
As the most influential industry, fashion has a duty to play a role in politics. It’s important for people who follow fashion to know that they can and should follow politics as well. Joining the fashion world with the world of politics is a great way to interest some of those people who may not hold politics in such high regard. This election is here to break down barriers!