How Movements use Fashion as a Tool to Create Social Change
Courtesy of BBC
Fashion and social change often go hand and hand. Fashion has always been experiencing politicization but it has grown even more recently. Today’s fashion designers often use their designs to show their stances or feelings on social issues. They use runways to make use of their platform; designing and creating garments to defy the political climate as a way to show support for movements. Ever since the rise of social movements in the 1960s, many people use fashion as a tool for social change and showing others what they believe in. Today, that has not changed and movements often take notes from previous generations and use the power of fashion to push their beliefs and stances in society. Below are some examples of social movements using fashion in protest.
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For decades, fashion was used as a tool for feminists to express their beliefs and reject traditional forms of femininity put in place by the patriarchy. It has been used in collections in the fashion industry for decades. From the creation of the mini skirt by Mary Quant, to burning bras, to the “We Should All Be Feminists” T-shirts by Dior, feminism has always been in fashion. Many women have been seen protesting issues such as equal pay, legislation, #Metoo and “The Future is Female” movements through various t-shirt slogans, hats and accessories to fully represent the new movement of the third and fourth wave of feminism. They are using fashion to gain their agency and combining it with their desire to go against gender stereotypes and standards. Today’s feminism often pulls from aspects of past feminist fashion because unfortunately many issues that they fought against back then, women are still fighting today.
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Black rights movements also intersect with the fashion industry and use it to propel their movement. The Civil Rights Movement had the Black Panthers which showed several fashion staples and codes within their organization such as their infamous black berets. Today, fashion continues to be used the same way and today's movement looks towards the Black Panther party as inspiration. In the wake of the George Floyd protests in 2020, many people created and purchased Black Lives Matter anti racist clothing and accessories to support the movement. Many protesters wore shirts or hats that said several slogans such as “BLM”, “Black Lives Matter” or “Say His/Her Name.” These t-shirts can also be a subtle protest that can resonate during day to day activities.
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Additionally, many protesters wore similar or inspired outfits to the ones that the Blank Panthers wore so many years ago. Fashion historian Darnell - Jamal Lisby said, “When you see Black Panther Party members in the all-black ensembles, it sends this message of unity as well as conveying a powerful statement through photography,” he said. "It's similar to the suffragettes… Everyone was fully aware of the impact.”
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The gay rights movement also uses fashion in protest. Similar to the BLM movement, LGBTQIA+ rights slogan or rainbow T-shirts and accessories are worn during protests and everyday life. Additionally, fashion is used by the LGBTQIA+ community to show and express their identity. Fashion has a relationship with a person's sexuality. It also gives them a space to fully discover themselves and choose how they want to present their identity to the public. There is also an increase in demand for more gender fluid and unisex clothing from brands. Also, people are starting to not care about traditional gender roles and buying clothing that does not traditionally match their identified gender. This allows people to show and be comfortable in their own skin and identity without feeling the need to conform.
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We cannot talk about social issues through fashion without talking about performative activism. Brands often will use the popularity of social movements to sell merchandise and make a profit. A great example are brands during pride month, who slap rainbows on anything they can and sell it during June but do not support the LGBTQIA+ community outside of that. They only support communities when it comes to profit or as a marketing vice. When June ends companies immediately get rid of the merchandise or put it in clearance and never show support for the community until next June comes around. Fashion designer Chema Diaz stated, “People should think twice before digging into Pride collections by big brands and support queer designers throughout the year, making sure their money goes into the pocket of a real member of the LGBTQIA+ community and not into a multinational brand that just uses Pride as a marketing tool.” It is important for consumers to know when brands do this performative activism and to support people that actually belong to marginalize communities instead of big brands who just want money.
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Fashion has always been used as a tool of protest for various social movements all over the world. Feminism, BLM, and LGBTQIA+ movements have been instrumental in the fashion industry and in turn, society. It is great that people can use clothing to showcase their identity and beliefs in their everyday wear. These fashion choices can connect the people of these communities and help them grow and reach more audiences. Fashion can be a very powerful tool for people and it is an important tool for people to use.
