In a move that speaks to fashion's power for making a political statement (beyond, say, a peppy logo t-shirt or a well-meaning if occasionally tone-deaf editorial), the label Opening Ceremony has released a limited capsule collection called the "Global Varsity Collection." It's a range of pieces (including varsity jackets, t-shirts and jumpers at fairly exxy prices) that features the flags and national symbols of countries around the world. The kicker? The collection was released on the same day that US President Donald Trump enacted his executive order to impose restrictions on refugee intakes and immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
"We wanted to celebrate the fact that the America we know is comprised of a diverse and expansive group of nations," said Humberto Leon & Carol Lim, founders of Opening Ceremony. "To do so through our iconic varsity jacket felt like a perfect way to highlight each country's unique attributes — through colour, symbols and patterns."
The move from the brand is, as The Hollywood Reporter noted, one of the few major statements from the fashion industry on Trump's polarising move. It's a contrast from the dozens of fashion types who joined in the women's marches last month by marching, donating profits on the day to Planned Parenthood and creating merchandise and social media posts in support of the cause.
As fashion designer Rachel Comey said of the marches in an open letter to her industry:
"This is an opportunity for us, the fashion industry, to show that we stand in solidarity with the women who make up the majority of our customers—and the majority of our workforce. Women's rights are human rights. I propose that we, as an industry, seize this moment as the powerful leaders and influencers that we are and act to amplify this message. Please join me in a campaign to support, promote and endorse the march. I've outlined a few ideas for how we can organise; additional ideas are more than welcome."
And yet while the business and tech world have spoken out against the ban, alongside celebrities such as Julia Louis-Dreyfus who declared the ban to be "a blemish and un-American" and Gigi and Bella Hadid who joined a #NoBanNoWall march march in New York, only a few fashion heavyweights have spoken up so far.
These include Nike CEO Mark Parker who said in a statement that "Nike stands together against bigotry" and Francois-Henri Pinault, the CEO of Kering (the parent company of luxury brands like Gucci, Saint Laurent and Stella McCartney among others), who tweeted that:
"At a time when diversity is at stake, I want to reaffirm how crucial this value is to me and to Kering. Diversity of origin, opinion and belief is part of our identity and our success." Though it was noted by The Hollywood Reporter that his comments came a few hours after The Business of Fashion had asked why the fashion industry had been silent about Trump's plans. The authors of the article had asked for comment from high fashion insiders but had been been met mostly with silence, or comments that said that they would not like to comment.
One of the few to give a comment in the article was Diane von Furstenberg who said in an email response that, "The fashion industry has always been a reflection of what America is all about... inclusion and diversity," she wrote via email. "It will continue to stand by these standards. I am personally horrified to see what is going on."
Other designers such as Philip Lim and the chairman of British Fashion Council Natalie Massenet (formerly of Net-a-Porter) have shown solidarity by sharing stories and images on social media to oppose the ban.
As The Business of Fashion noted, now may be the time for businesses to not be neutral. Fashion hasn't tended to go that way anyway, if the designers who endorsed Hillary Clinton or who would or wouldn't dress Melania Trump have shown.
Vanessa Friedman noted of fashion's relationship with politics is that the role of fashion is to capture the world as it is, writing: "The point of fashion is to reflect the world around it, a world often filled with ugliness and disharmony. Ask any museum curator why costume belongs in the institution, and the answer is that it is historical record: It reflects society at a given moment in time."