Fashion is often a reflection of society and
global issues. There exist an indisputable
connection between politics and fashion.
Using fashion to express thoughts and
ideas has appeared globally. Some
designers in the industry use their career
to support their political beliefs. T-shirts
have a long history of being political
objects for politics and protest.
The seventies and eighties saw the
rise of the slogan t-shirts by designers
like Katharine Hamnett and Vivienne
Westwood. These designers saw an
opportunity to challenge the establishment
rather than support it. Hamnett rose
in this era for her activism, her iconic
slogan t-shirts ranging from ‘Choose
Life’ to ‘Stop war, to Blair out’. The most
publicized occasion, Hamnett wore one
of her own T-shirts to meet the then
prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. The
t-shirt that Hamnett chose to wear was
the ‘58% don’t want Pershing’. It made an
anti-nuclear statement. Using clothing to
send a message isn’t a new concept. It has
peaked yet again to show a person’s beliefs
and cultural values. Fashion as a platform
that reaches out to an audience through
various mediums. It has a voice that’s
interpreted without language barriers and
creates a platform for all to see.
Walter van Beirendonck’s Autumn/
Winter 2015 Collection used the slogan
‘Stop Terrorizing our World.’ The slogan is
fueled by the tragic event when al Qaeda
terrorists stormed the Paris offices of the
satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing
ten employees and two police officers.
Designers are using their media coverage
for something more than profit. They are
showing solidarity. Solidarity is a powerful
force in itself. While a garment can’t
change what happened to those people on
that day, it shows others that people do
care and will not stand for the ideology
behind the attacks.
Fashion is one of the many platforms
one can use for protest. While it isn’t the
only one, it is timely and current. Since
fashion can replicate developments and
events in social and political life, designers
can give you the power to express your
thoughts, even if you can’t attend a certain
protest. It only takes one person wearing
a garment with a message to spark a
conversation. Posting it on social media
with the relevant tags can show your
support within that community.
hange does not happen
overnight, many people think
that one person can’t make a
change. Yet, one person can
create change with a small
gesture or an idea. Educating people on an
issue they didn’t actually understand can
carry through to people who need to spark
conversation. Change can’t happen unless
somebody stands for what they believe in.
The majority of Generation Y are grabbing
on to this responsibility with both hands.
While protests have been successful in
the past, unfortunately in 2012 British
students lined the streets of London to
protest tuition fees and unemployment.
The government made no changes
to their policies and university fees
tripled. Protesting may not always equal
change, but it can have a lot of other
effects. It creates solidarity among the
young, it creates a safe haven for like-
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