Can Politics Move From The Runway To Retail?

Before she stepped out for the finale of Prabal Gurung’s show last week, Bella Hadid caught a glimpse of the designer’s face. “I’ve become really close with him, and I was just so proud of him,” she says. “Looking into his eyes as he was about to [take his bow] and as he was watching everyone walk out, that’s when I started crying. It was really intense and really beautiful.” Hadid and her fellow models created one of New York Fashion Week’s most talked-about moments when they walked Gurung’s finale wearing stark T-shirts of black or white, each adorned with a straightforward message. “The Future Is Female,” read Hadid’s shirt, while others sported “Love Is Love,” “Break Down Walls,” and “Nevertheless, She Persisted.” Gurung wasn’t alone in using his runway to express his views on the Trump presidency and the political climate. The statements made by him and other designers spawned perhaps the most prominent trend of New York Fashion Week: protest merchandise. But now that the shows are over, will those political sentiments hit store racks, too? In this age of wallet activism, when a brand’s leanings can spawn hashtag boycotts and stock market dips, can designers and retailers afford to take sides? Read more at The Hollywood Reporter.