The rich robes of kings and queens, their extravagant headwear and their accessories and jewels represented "status clothes", a way to show people how powerful they were.
When political propaganda didn't formally exist, human beings used sartorial propaganda to promote themselves. But, little by little, as the decades and centuries passed, fashion and politics established indissoluble links one with the other and many politicians in the public arena became more conscious about their looks and even used maybe a colour or a special accessory to deliver a message (the pins and brooches donned by former Secretary of State Madeline Albright even got a book and an exhibition as there was always a message behind them - remember how she used to wear a wasp when she had to do some "stinging" and "deliver a tough message"?).
In the past there have been dedicated exhibitions celebrating this connection: one gallery of the "Fashion & Politics" exhibition that took place at the Fashion Institute of Technology's Museum over 10 years ago, was dedicated to American nationalism and featured juxtapositions of designs from different eras, from a 1889 stars and stripes cotton printed dress and Catherine Malandrino's chiffon flag-print shirtdress (a fashion hymn to freedom that debuted in 2001 and turned after 9/11 into a wearable symbol of patriotism) to flag-themed sandals by La Valle from the late '30s-early '40s in red, white and blue leather with metal studs.
Propaganda was introduced via a white cotton dress with a red "IKE" print from the 1956 Eisenhower Campaign and with paper stars and stripes mini-dresses - almost homages to the Pop Art movement by Mars of Asheville and James Sterling - worn by supporters of Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey.
That exhibition also included an "RFK" scarf from the 1960s Robert F. Kennedy Presidential Campaign by Oscar de la Renta (View this photo); Stephen Sprouse's graffiti-like Declaration of Independence print in bright orange on green and brown background (View this photo) and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's iconic Pop Arty sequinned dress with a portrait of Barack Obama with the back of the design reading "I have a dream today!", referencing the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and underscoring the historic significance of Obama's election.
So far the presidency of Donald Trump has been a long dark nightmare (best described in fashion by the T-shirts featuring slogans such as "Any Way Out of This", "Out of This Nightmare" and "Horror" in Raf Simons A/W 2017 collection...), in which the President's hubris and ego prevailed, and with many embarrassingly cringing moments with some fashion links as well (remember when it was revealed that Trump preferred female staffers "to dress like women" or Melania's "I really don't care, do you?" jacket).
Fashion wasn't immune to the 2020 US presidential campaign: as you may remember, Demna Gvasalia combined in his Balenciaga's A/W 2017 menswear collection the brand's logo with Bernie Sanders' red, white, and blue campaign logo for the American presidential campaign; last year, instead, we saw quite a few collections that focused on American identity.
In their S/S 20 collections Prabal Gurung wondered "Who gets to be American?" while Jonathan Cohen reinvented the American flag as a traditional mexican serape blanket flayed at the edges and covered with stars and rainbow coloured stripes.
In the last few months we have seen instead quite a few collections or items to encourage people to vote: a gold necklace with the letters "V-O-T-E" designed by Jamaican-born Chari Cuthbert of ByChari, went viral in August when Michelle Obama chose to wear it when she gave her Democratic National Convention speech in which she invited people to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (unfortunately for the designer, the necklace became so popular that it was also widely copied and she had to threaten legal action over knockoffs).
In September When We All Vote, Mrs. Obama's nonprofit, nonpartisan organisation, launched a collection of merchandise - "Vote 4EVER Merch", including clothes, accessories and lifestyle products by independent, BIPOC-owned labels.
A week later Christian Siriano showcased his S/S 21 collection that featured black and white "Vote" emblazoned gowns and accessories (face-mask included and available from Siriano's site).
In October Lizzo opted for a Siriano "Vote" minidress for the Billboard Music Awards, and a few days ago actor Billy Porter appeared wearing a "Vote" jacket by the designer on an episode of the digital talk show So Siriano (View this photo).
The "Vote" message was adopted also by deigners based in Europe: Nicolas Ghesquière included in Louis Vuitton S/S 21 collection, showcased in Paris at the beginning of October, a "Vote" long sleeved T-shirt, while "Vote" merchadise and capsule collections multiplied in the recent weeks (because of Coronavirus one item became rather popular - the ubiquitous face-mask).
Now, if fashion can be influenced by political choices and social changes, can "Vote" (or "I'm a Voter" and "I've Voted") items (the range is vast and includes scarves, boots, sneakers, bracelets, necklaces, T-shirts and sweats by the most disparate brands and designers around) or the sartorial choices of some politicians (think Kamala Harris' dynamic style) genuinely inspire people to vote?
Well, maybe they already did (even though, in reality, surely people didn't turn up to vote because of these designs, but because they want change...): we will know who is the next President of the US only during the night / the early hours of the morning if you're in Europe (but, considering also delayed results and slow counting, it may take even longer), but by yesterday 98 million people had already voted ahead of election. This means that the 2020 presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is the first in history in which more people voted in advance of election day than on it.
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