The Future of Fashion is Inspired by Activism
A poster reads, "However I dress, wherever I go. Yes means yes and no means no." Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Gliding down the runway at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) in a traditional Vietnamese dress, Amanda Nguyen looks nothing out of the ordinary. She walks to the speakers blasting music icons like Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato. She is joined by Chanel Miller, the artist and author of “Know My Name,” who models a striped floor-length wrap dress, actor Kelly Marie Tran in a blue jumpsuit and actor Terry Crews who wears a shiny black suit.
Although a seemingly ordinary NYFW show, all of those modeling have one thing in common: each one is a sexual assault survivor.
“Tonight is about us reclaiming our power,” Nguyen told The New York Times.
NYFW is no longer just about the newest designs. Many designers use their platform to spread awareness of controversial topics or human rights issues. In 2017, Tommy Hilfiger had all of his models wear a white bandana to show solidarity and commitment to inclusivity. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has also been seen sporting a Planned Parenthood pin in her support of reproductive rights.
Still, Nguyen went a step farther than just sparking a conversation. Her show’s theme revolves around the awareness that asking survivors, “what were you wearing?”, is demeaning. As the founder of the civil rights organization, Rise, Nguyen focuses on working to make it easier for sexual assault survivors to get justice and hopes to evoke change. She proposed the Survivors’ Bill of Rights in 2016, watching it pass without a single dissenting vote in Congress.
Her accomplishment was on display in her outfit for the fashion show. Designed by artists Suzanne McClelland and Alix Pearlstein, her dress was covered in text from the Survivors’ Bill of Rights. McClelland and Pearlstein have an even larger collection of garments, one of which is covered in questions that were asked of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual assault accuser, Christine Blasey Ford.
Such political and fashion collaborations seem to be the future of the fashion industry. Silver Needle Runway (SNR) director and senior fashion lecturer, Juan-Manuel Olivera-Silvera, has watched designers and models use fashion as a political statement to spark conversations.
Many students involved with SNR use the platform to raise awareness of issues like sustainability, gender equality and mental health. They use the SNR newsletter and podcast to expand the social responsibility conversation beyond fashion.
“The Fashion Show Production (FSP) students continue exploring "what is beyond" fashion to discuss other topics they feel are relevant to themselves and the communities around them,” Olivera-Silvera said.
Fashion design student, Sierra Wiessner ‘24, describes how those in the fashion industry continually get involved with raising awareness of issues like sexual assault. With an interest in costume design, she sees the need to acknowledge those civil rights cases in a way that will make people pay attention, similar to what Nguyen achieved at NYFW.
“Because of such outreach, fashion students and the rest of the fashion industry are beginning to use issues they care about as inspiration for projects,” she said.
Fashion merchandising students, Enna Spivak ‘21, Julia Renna ‘21 and Tyler Cox ‘21 focused their capping project on bringing sustainable resources to campus. They helped fashion students access sustainable materials for their academic and personal projects by lowering consumption, generating carbon neutrality, and creating a circular economy.
Their awareness of environmental changes helped fuel this project, going one step beyond raising awareness with fashion by taking action. They designed a sustainability section in the creative resource center in the Steel Plant, Marist’s main fashion building.
Olivera-Silvera believes that such awareness of these global issues is from how connected the next generation is to social media and seeing how possible it is for them to get involved.
“These issues are not new and it is important they continue to be brought to light, as Ms. Nguyen did in her latest fashion show in order to create change for the fashion industry and beyond,” Olivera-Silvera said.