“We’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur”
(Picture Credit: Pintrest)
1994 saw animal activist group PETA move away from their usual campaign tactics that included attacking fur wearers with fake blood to a more glamorous way of promoting their cause. Supermodels of the era, including Heather Stewart Whyte, Fabienne Terwinghe and Naomi Campbell, featured on the monochrome poster series completely naked to discourage fur wearers: “We’d rather go naked than wear fur”. Whilst the campaign attracted copious amounts of media attention, many of the models were later sacked by PETA for breaching the Models of Compassion petition and wearing real fur! The organisation struck out venomously at Naomi Campbell labelling her a ‘hypocrite’ and ‘disgusting’ after she flaunted a Givenchy handbag made from fur and snakeskin on Instagram.
Highland Rape
Alexander McQueen’s 1995 A/W “Highland Rape” collection is perhaps, one of the most controversial collections to have ever graced the catwalk. Ever. Inspired by “ethnic cleansing” of the British Forces in the Scottish Highlands in the 18th and 19th centuries, McQueen’s fourth collection utterly shocked the world, featuring bruised models clad in torn tartan pieces and his iconic “bumsters” that fell of their frames as they stumbled down the catwalk. Whilst media critiques jumped at the chance to label McQueen as a misogynist and an objectifier of women, the designer vehemently denied such claims, stating the collection portrayed women how he feels society sees them. Check out McQueen’s own comments not he collection here!
Climate Revolution
(Picture Credit: Dazed)
Back in 2012, Dame Vivienne Westwood launched her website Climate Revolution, to promote a cause she is very passionate about: the dangers of climate change. In true Westwood style, she went the extra mile by launching the website, in which she keeps a personal blog at the London 2012 Olympic games closing ceremony. Westwood entered on a float adorned with a huge banners reading “CLIMATE REVOLUTION” dressed as an Eco-Warrior. In recent years, Westwood has become almost as renowned for her fight against the warming planet as her design work, making many more statements to help the cause including, donating over 1 million pounds to the Cool Earth organisation and chopping off her famous fiery red hair to raise awareness.
Chanel Does Feminism
(Picture Credit: Distraction Magazine)
Karl Lagerfeld always puts on a show and 2015’s Chanel catwalk was no exception. Models paraded down Boulevard Chanel (a set created in the Grand Palais in Paris) to promote positive messages about women and feminism. The likes of Cara Delevingne. Kendall Jenner, Gisele Bündchen, edie Campbell and Georgia May Jagger held up placards reading “History is Her Story”, “Feminism Not Masochism”, “We Can Match the Machos” and “Ladies First”. Despite seeming like the show presented positive messages on the surface, Lagerfeld received a barrage of criticism for the show with many critics claiming he was exploiting the feminist movement for personal gain. Lagerfeld hit back at critics to say: “My mother was very much a feminist and I thought it was something right for the moment… I couldn’t care less is people are for or against. It’s my idea. I like the idea of feminism being something light hearted, not a truck driver for the feminist movement”.
No Ban, No Wall
(Picture Credit: Pintrest)
It surprised many that New York Fashion Week got so overtly political this year and there were certainly no subtlety to Raul Solis’ collection. The Mexican-born designer had anti-Trump slogans such as “No Ban, No Wall” and “Fuck Your Wall” on the models white underwear in the politically charged collection for LRS studio. Speaking of his collection, Solis stated: “my family is first generation Mexican and some had to migrate to the U.S., [so] this issue is something extremely personal to me”. For more on New York Fashion Week click here!