We have all heard the saying actions speak louder than words, now comes a time in the 21st Century where clothes can speak for us. Clothes can display our identity; display sub-cultural messages; display the inadequacies in the world and spark conversations or the movements. Clothes can be more than a necessity in our closets, they can also suggest to others something of our values, political beliefs, and aspirations for our societies. For many years, garments have been made into political campaign pieces, propaganda, and supporting protest movements . It is a powerful tool for putting ideas into public space - if your voice isn’t being heard then wear it.
Celebrities, activists, politicians, artists have used this tactic to express their opinions and values through clothing. The well-known ‘#MeToo’ movement (TimeOut, 2018) used fashion as a form of awareness raising at the 2018 Golden Globe awards in 2018. At the awards, all the women wore black on the red carpet to highlight the crimes the rampant sexual harassment in the show biz industry. The #metoo movement began from 2006 to help survivors from sexual assault particularly helping Black women and girls, any woman of colour from impoverished communities, this conversation took the world by surprise. The action at such an international event and all the actresses stating their choice showing unification against the abuse.
Down the track in Donald Trump’s State of Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC all the female representatives wore white, as the colour symbolises women suffrage and power in such a male dominant work environment (Talia Smith, Teen Vogue, 2019). Together with women rights, the ‘PUSSYHAT PROJECT’ (PUSSYHAT PROJECT, 2017) has been a movement for 3 years, that make vibrant pink Pussy Cat ear beanies, and peacefully protest in male dominated areas for women’s rights. Through the colour pink they want to change the common ideals that surround the colour to a powerful strong symbol rather than a passive feminine tone. The British rapper Stormzy performed at Glastonbury in 2019 (Talia Smith, Teen Vogue, 2019), wearing a stab proof vest with a black and white Union Jack printed on top, to symbolise and arise to the attention of his audience the gun crime and vulnerability of black bodies affected all over the world. These incentive choices show that we ourselves interpret and see the messages these celebrities want to state, to start the conversations that the world needs to be talking about and the actions that should prevail.
The big fashions houses have curated into their clothing collections political pieces and that house to start this trend was Dior. In September 2016 Dior’s runway contained t-shirts “We Should All Be Feminists,” they continued to do so even in their most recent collection of clothing for Autumn/Winter ‘20 a t-shirt “I SAY I.” Maria Grazia Chiuri was inspired by Carla Lonzi an Italian Feminist activist, that collection was based around independency and identity on individuals.
Dior just got the ball rolling for the big fashion houses to make political statements in their collections. Redbubble is a Australian online company that allows artists to sell their work through various avenues. Clothing, printmaking, mugs, key rings, single prints the list keeps going, but anyone that wants to create something they can do so via joining. I came across many political clothing garments and I really liked ‘Australian Political T-Shirts’. I was surprised how many came through, some I might say made me laugh. But all were very true in the statements and the images on them. I knew looking at some of these t-shirts would make some liberalist turn their head and give some slashing comment to you, but hey that’s what these t-shirts are meant to do. Provoke the audience that wants to look at what you are wearing, it's one great way to judge a character and start a conversation.
Fashion and clothing can be a potentially powerful platform to express values and opinions on matters that relate to publics and politics. Perhaps we can use this time to think more deeply about what we wear and what it says. To start conversations that have been put on hold.
If you are unable to speak then wear it.
