The connection between fashion and politics has always been present, but in recent years, it has grown stronger, more persistent, and more pervasive. In the past, the media would analyze a politician's style to uncover symbolisms and messages behind their color choices or accessories, making fashion serve politics. Nowadays, a common thread unites fashion and politics - speed.
Consider this: trends in fashion emerge rapidly. Sometimes, it takes only a few weeks (or even a few days) for a new trend to surface and spread or for entirely new collections to be released, especially by ultra-fast fashion retailers. Politics mirrors this pace. Since the G7 summit in Italy this June, significant changes have occurred among the participating leaders: US President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, France saw a victory for the left-wing New Popular Front (NPF), and, in the UK, Tories were toppled.
Another fast-changing arena is Artificial Intelligence (AI). Just last year, text-to-image applications struggled to generate accurate images, often producing people with too many hands and fingers. Now, it's becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish real images from those generated by AI.
A recent post by Elon Musk on X, formerly known as Twitter, highlighted the intersection of fashion, politics, and AI. On July 22, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Trump campaign supporter, shared a video of a fake fashion show with the caption, "High time for an AI fashion show."
Entitled "Runway of Power" and made by YouTube channel "Interdimensional TV" using platforms like Midjourney and Luma Labs, this two-minute imaginary (and somewhat cringing and nightmarish) runway featured AI-generated versions of political leaders and tech tycoons.
Pope Francis opened the show in a white Balenciaga-like puffer coat, reminiscent of the image created using Midjourney that went viral last year. Following him was Russian President Vladimir Putin in a rainbow-colored, strapless Louis Vuitton gown.
The brand also made an appearance in the deepfake of Joe Biden, who was shown in a wheelchair wearing a camouflage pixelated suit, reminiscent of Pharrell Williams's first men's collection for Louis Vuitton (S/S 24).
The LV logo also turned up in the outfits donned by Narendra Modi and Donald Trump. The latter appeared in an orange pinstripe prison-like jumpsuit adorned with "LV" logos on the chest, accessorized with dangling handcuffs.
Kamala Harris also makes an appearance towards the end in a coconut bikini top - a nod to the viral coconut meme - and a skirt announcing "Harris 2024." Along the runway, you'll also spot a character inspired by Hillary Clinton, clad in a red pantsuit covered with "Supreme" logos (though spelled "Suprem"), Nancy Pelosi, and Bernie Sanders, who walks down the runway in a knitted suit with iconic mittens reminiscent of his attire from Inauguration Day 2021.
Other notable appearances include Justin Trudeau in a mini dress inspired by the Canadian flag, Xi Jinping in an ensemble printed with teddy bears (a reference to the fact that he gets compared to Winnie the Pooh in Internet memes), and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in a gold chain and hooded coat covered with his own images.
All the virtual models in the show sport just one look, but the character representing former US President Barack Obama boasts several ensembles, ranging from Pokémon and Super Mario-inspired suits to gladiator outfits emblazoned with one word, "Hope."
Among the tech tycoons, Musk himself features prominently - first bare-chested in a swimsuit, then in a spacesuit. Amazon's Jeff Bezos wears an outfit printed with dollar bills and a "B" that looks like a dollar sign.
Tim Cook appears with a MacBook Pro worn on his chest like a sort of bag (when in a text-to-image prompt you ask Artificial Intelligence to generate a bag, it often tends to attach it to the front of the model) and an "Apple" logo belt. A character inspired by Mark Zuckerberg starts in a Speedo bathing suit with an "FB" logo and gradually transforms into a green-skinned monster or superhero.
The video concludes with a blue screen of death stating, "Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart," hinting at both the fantastical and nightmarish possibilities technology can bring.
While entertaining for many, the video has a rather tame approach and lacks the incisiveness to make a meaningful statement.
Rather than delivering a sharp commentary, it portrayed some controversial figures in an almost sympathetic light. For instance, dressing Putin in a rainbow colored ensemble did more to humanize him than to criticize his anti-LGBTQ+ stance.
Considering how luxury brands are rather strict towards unauthorized use of their trademark, the creators of the video were lucky they weren't sued by Louis Vuitton for using the brand's logo in their designs.
Despite its shortcomings, aside from the fact that the video shows how fashion could be used to make fun of power figures, it actually highlight AI's advancements in creating almost flawless deepfakes and the consequences of the potential misuse of AI technology
Yet, let's hope that, in future, AI will be used for more insightful purposes or will be combined with fashion for a more incisive satire about politics.
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