Just last week, the fashion “it” crowd of the world flocked to New York City for it’s semi-annual fashion week. As usual, the designers dished out some seriously beautiful Spring 2017 collections and super stylish people roamed the streets with photographers in tow. But this year, several designers made wonderful statements that went beyond their clothes.
Diversity Champions
Christian Siriano’s show was filled with beautiful models of all shapes and sizes. Siriano has been praised as a supporter of dressing all body types and he constantly demonstrates that he is more than a mere advocate of this concept. Way to go Christian Siriano!
Rachel Comey’s runway included models of ranging body types as well as ages. To honor her brand’s 15th anniversary she modeled this show after her very first one – staged alfresco along the city sidewalk. Not only did this compliment her collection, but it also established a “real world” feel complete with diverse models proving true style has no age limit.
Brandon Maxwell has long been committed to diverse model casting. This year’s spring 2017 show as well as his recent fall ad campaign proved to be no exception. Maxwell said, “I come from a very diverse area, and I think that a woman or a young girl, when she’s looking at our collection on the Internet, should be able to see herself represented there.”
Fashion and Politics
Opening Ceremony’s show this year brought politics straight into fashion week. Carol Lim and Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony opened the floor for a discussion about current political issues and emphasized the importance of voting in this upcoming election. In the booklet given out to attendees the designers stated, “[This] show is a tribute to the American democratic process, and the diversity of those who participate in it. On the surface, fashion has very little to do with politics. Yet when we get dressed, we make decisions about which aspects of ourselves to present to the world.” Multiple celebrities took to the stage and spoke out on issues important to them. For instance, Rashida Jones addressed the Syrian refugee crisis and why it’s a responsibility of ours as Americans to care and teen actress and activist Rowan Blanchard spoke about feminism and privilege.