At a time when politics is increasingly distrusted and divides people along class, race, sex, and gender lines, literally carrying a message condemning oppression on one’s shoulders can be much more liberating and emancipating than it seems. Focus on the creative, historical and sociological aspect of clothing which became the best tool for expressing one’s commitment.

Until recently, every celebrity’s sartorial statement on the red carpet was simply about putting the rest of the guests to shame and establishing oneself as the most stylish and fitted personality of the evening. But that was before. Today, to make a mark, fill Instagram feeds and win the fashion game, you have to take a stand and get involved. Case in point: the 2021 edition of the Met gala, where several guests played the « political dressing » card, such as model and actress Cara Delevingne, who showed up with her Dior « Peg the patriarchy » outfit , as well as lesbian footballer Megan Rapinoe, who came with her « In Gay we trust » handbag, or the Democratic congresswoman and activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (eternal big up) who appeared in a white dress – high school prom style (no shade) – with the back reading « Tax the rich » in revolutionary ( not to say bloody ) red letters. In short, the Met Gala, once known for promoting a certain idea of « North American glamour », has now become the new political arena for protesting discrimination and social injustice. Of course, the internet was quick to judge and highlight the possible performativity of its recent « sartorial actions ». However performative it may be, the fashion activism observed at the Met Ball is not a matter to be overlooked, as it suggests a real shift in how the political power of clothing is perceived in the fashion industry and in entertainment. In this poisonous political climate, where the debate on equality issues seems sterile and some people feel the need to give their reactionary and out-of-touch opinions on social issues that don’t affect them, literally carrying a message condemning oppression on one’s shoulders can be much more liberating and emancipating than it seems. It’s a fact: since what we choose to wear is an extension of our identity, intimacy and personality – a process studied and theorised by French psychiatrists Jacques Lacan and Serge Tisseron under the catchy term ‘extimacy’ – it seems only sensible, even normal, that our ideas should be reflected in our clothing. From the committed collections of the young designers to the historical silhouettes and looks of the protest movements, Mixte takes a look at past and present sartorial initiatives which clearly herald a future of fashion marked by commitment and activism.

Angela Davis’ clothing line.
Assa Traoré wearing the “Justice pour Adama » t-shirt, at a Black Lives Matter event in New York (march 2022).
Colour me uprised

 

You may know Angela Davis as one of the iconic figures of the Black Panther anti-racist movement in the 1970s, but you might be unaware of her recent career as a fashion designer. In December 2020, the Afro-feminist activist and author released a clothing line inspired by Black activists. The collection includes T-shirts and hoodies featuring political leaders, with a portion of the profits going to organisations fighting the US police and prison system such as Underground Grit and Dream Defenders. We can already see some people leaping in to share their concern about the opportunistic and lucrative nature of this initiative, especially in a post-George Floyd context. But that would be forgetting the strong link that has historically united clothing and activism for decades, even hundreds of years. “With each action in the civil rights movement, Black people strategically adopted different protest clothing styles, knowing all too well the power of fashion to communicate strong messages in the fight to change attitudes on racial issues, » recalls Angela Davis. These actions ended up making a lasting mark on the intersection of Black identity, fashion, politics and justice. » Indeed, from the American « Sunday Best » marches in the 1950s and 1960s, when the Black militant community was invited to demonstrate to demand respect and dignity by wearing its best Sunday clothes, to the revolutionary leather jacket + beret uniform of the Black Panther era, and – more recently in France – the sale of the « Justice for Adama » T-shirt, enabling the collective to raise funds to finance legal costs, it seems difficult, if not impossible, to separate the symbolism of clothing from its socio-political context. For Angela Davis, “Style is a language and like any other visual medium, it reflects history.” This semiotic fashion analysis can also be applied to other activist movements throughout history. This is the case of the suffragettes who, at the end of the 19th century in the United Kingdom, chose purple as the emblematic colour of their struggle and their outfits. It symbolises « the royal blood that runs through the veins of every woman fighting for the right to vote, the awareness of freedom and dignity », writes German sociologist Eva Heller in her book The Psychology of Colour. She explains that purple, « a mixture of blue and pink, also represents the link between the masculine and the feminine » and thus the fight against the absurd notions of gender dictated by society. Now we understand better why in January 2021, during her inauguration, the current Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris showed up at the Capitol in a purple total look especially created for the occasion by the talented African-American designer Christopher John Rogers, known for celebrating the body and identity of Black women. The convergence of struggles has never been so stylish. More recently in our current political context, other colors have enabled people to express their opinion and positioning through clothing: the pink and blue corset dress – as a tribute to the trans flag – worn by transgender model Inès Rau at Lecourt Mansion FW23 fashion show. As well as the blue and yellow outfits inspired by the Ukrainian flag which were seen at Balenciaga FW23 fashion show as well as on the back of several « fashion activists » in order to call out the war in Ukraine.

Kamala Harris on inauguration day, january 2021.
Inès Rau, wearing a pink and blue corset dress at Lecourt Mansion FW23 fashion show, as a tribute to the trans flag and the transgender community.
Bella Hadid, backstage at Balenciaga FW23 fashion show (march 2022).
Reality-TV (for real)

 

Unfortunately, if a few items of clothing from our daily wardrobe were enough to overthrow the whitriarchy, destroy transphobia and/or stop wars, it would be known. So, probably to have more impact and trigger real popular change, activists of all kinds have recently preferred to pick their activist outfits from emblematic pop culture series and films whose stories are surprisingly close tto the cause they are championing IRL. This is the case, for example, of some feminist activists who ditched purple for red and white during their latest pro-abortion protest, drawing inspiration from the outfits of dominated and enslaved women in the dystopian series The Handmaid’s Tale. Back in 2017, scarlet handmaids similar to the characters in the series marched on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to protest against the Republican bill seen as a threat to women’s bodily autonomy. A few months later, similar figures dressed in red robes and white bonnets entered the Texas Senate to protest against legislation restricting access to abortion. The same happened in 2018 and 2019 at various women’s rights protests in England, Poland, Argentina and Croatia. All this illustrates a more than disturbing mise en abyme on the role of clothing as a designator of a predetermined social straitjacket. « The political dimension of clothing can be intuitively understood from the moment an individual is born. Indeed, a human society is basically equivalent to a clothed society. What you wear, how you wear it and when you wear it are all expressions of different degrees of liberties and social influences, » says Henry Navarro Delgado, assistant professor of fashion at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. « Clothing expression runs the political gamut, from conformity to rebellion, » he adds. In other words, a style of dress that defies – or is perceived as defying, or offering an alternative to the status quo – spontaneously acquires political significance. » Q.E.D. Whatever the dress code in question, it has every power to reveal social aspirations and political ideals, according to Richard Thompson Ford, professor of law at Stanford University in the US and author of Dress Codes: How The Laws of Fashion Made History: « For centuries, dress codes have been used to maintain specific social roles and hierarchies. But fashion and style have also traditionally served another purpose: to express new ideals of individual freedom, rationality and equality. » A powerful and inspirational message that the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is undoubtedly familiar with. Several thousand of its members demonstrated in October 2021 in the streets of Seoul in order to demand better working conditions, dressed as the disadvantaged and exploited characters of Squid Game, the successful South Korean series from Netflix. Or how to nicely blur the established social rules by hijacking the fictional fashion game.

South-Korean protesters dresses as Squid Game’s characters (Seoul, October 2021).
Pro-choice feminist protesters dressed as the characters of The Handmaid’s tale.
Practical, subtle, versatile…

 

That said, you don’t necessarily have to play the uniform or the (bad) costume card to communicate your opinions. While the industry’s iconic fashion houses are still selling us T-shirts with messages promoting feminism or climate protection for a few hundred euros (watch where my eyes rest…), the young guard of designers seems to have found more honest and subtle ways to convey their message. This is the case of Ester Manas who has managed, in just a few seasons, to find a place for herself in the fight for body-positivism and against fatphobia. The trendy young Franco-Belgian label has certainly revolutionised the rules of casting by having only curvy models on the catwalk, like queer feminist dancer, anti-racist and body-positive activist Mariana Benenge. But the real commitment lies in the way these clothes are made, as the label offers a one-size-fits-all design ranging from XXS to XXL. And thanks to an ingenious system of gathers, lacing, buttonholes and stretch fabrics, these versatile pieces can be worn by anyone in any weight range. Not to mention the fact that the fashion aspect is by no means neglected, with the added bonus of ultra-desirable cuts, materials and colours. Combining style with purpose, and quality with the search for meaning, seem to be the essential and complementary notions of a truly committed fashion. This is certainly what Djurdja Bartlett, Senior Reader in Histories and Cultures of Fashion at the London College of Fashion, underlines in the preface to her book Fashion and Politics (Yale University Press, 2019). « As an embodied everyday practice, fashion is endowed with the capacity to bring pleasure, incite and convey affect. Thus, at a time when politics is increasingly distrusted and divides people along class, race, sex, and gender lines, fashion might indeed provide a means of challenging such divisiveness. » The latter could even, she suggests, create « a bridge between politics and economics, providing a platform for today’s most pressing social and cultural conversations ». Boom! Perhaps the best recent incarnation of this sociological punchline remains the work done by designer and anti-racist activist Kerby Jean-Raymond, founder of the label Pyer Moss. In July 2021, he was the first African-American designer to present a collection in the official Paris Couture Week calendar. An opportunity for this defender and supporter of the Black community to reaffirm his commitment through a collection of whimsical and spectacular dresses paying tribute to the little-known creations of Black inventors forgotten by history (air conditioning, mobile phones, lampshades, typewriters, etc.). Special mention should be made of the mise en abîme of the « fridge » outfit on which one could read a message written in magnetic letters: « But who invented Black trauma?” You have four hours.

Mariana Benenge walking for the Ester Manas FW23 fashion show
SS22 Pyer Moss couture collection