Purses & Politics
“House of Slay” was founded in 2021 in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes
What is the role of fashion in politics? It is, perhaps, an age-old question. There are certainly those who feel that fashion is an art form that can be enjoyed on its own, aside from any form of statement. However in our current socio-political landscape, polarized by the election of Trump in 2016, it seems nearly impossible not to make a statement. For many communities, the simple fact of existing and of making their presence known, is in itself a political gesture. Take for example my dear friend @almost_zaymous, who challenges the status quo in gendered dressing and thereby creates a safe space for others to explore their identities. In 2021 with a wave of anti-Asian hate crimes sweeping the globe, fashion insiders Prabal Gurung, Phillip Lim, Laura Kim, Ezra J William and Tina Leung founded the “House of Slay,” thereby creating a voice for the AAPI community, in the form of a progressive comic strip in which an avatar of each member fights hatred and racism, shedding a light of hope and positivity. In honor of their contribution, House of Slay has earned the CFDA’s “Positive Social Influence Award.”
Earlier this year, shortly after Russia first invaded the Ukraine, Demna was able to quickly adapt his plans for the FW2022 show and turn it into a very explicit depiction of the horrors of war and the struggles faced by refugees. Demna himself emigrated from Georgia following the Russian invasion, and even lived for some time in the Ukraine, before eventually settling in Switzerland. The news cycle of February 2022 brought back these traumatic memories and fortunately for us, Demna was able to convert his experiences into a statement of solidarity. Models trudged against snowdrifts in a giant, custom-built snow globe, clutching trash bags presumable filled with the last of their belongings. Demna opened the show with a reading of a poem in Ukrainian, and guests were gifted T-shirts in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Of course, the melding of the fashion world with current events isn’t an entirely new trend. In the midst of Nazi-occupied Paris during WWII, Chanel famously handed out bottles of Chanel No5 perfume to soldiers, to give to their sweethearts. Allegedly, Chanel also attempted to broker a peace treaty, based on her personal connections both with Allied Forces (she was close friends with Winston Churchilll) and her German lover, Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage, a powerful member of the Abwehr (the Nazi intelligence organization). She was unable to succeed in bringing about an end to the war, but she was successful in freeing her nephew, who had been captured by Nazi forces. *
*sources: Sleeping with the Enemy, by Hal Vaughn, 2011 (as reported for WETA by Melanie Albanesi in January 2022); Chanel’s Riviera, by Anne de Courcy, 2020
While history and politics may have collided in the past, it does seem to be a more modern phenomenon, brought about by the raised expectations of Millennials and Gen Z, that artistry doesn’t end in the studio. As so aptly stated by Jennifer Lawrence for her interview for Vogue, September 2022, “You have to be political. It’s too dire. Politics are killing people.”
