I read your post with interest and agree with you that there is something fundamentally broken in our world if people are becoming unable to express their honest and respectful opinion publicly, asking for ceasefire and acknowledgement of inhumanity of over 25,000 innocent Palestinians deaths, following the atrocious attack on Israel civilians in early October. I would only add that it's not just the young who are rebelling against this, but middle-aged and elders too. In the world that screams for peace, it's the military spending that continues to rise, not investment in education, health, creativity. Thank you for this post Alec
I think there is much to be said about fashion mutism on certain issues and its "overvocality" on other issues. We can assume that the silence in the fashion industry is yes, due to fear to lose one's income, but there is also the need to say that some of the most prominent figures of the industry support - albeit discreetly - Israel. The Chanel's owners made a 4 million dollars donation to organisations aiding Israeli, yet no word about or help towards Palestinians suffering in Gaza.
To go back to GmbH's runway, I found very symbolic both founder wore the keffiyeh and let it be the leitmotiv of their collection as this piece of clothing has become more and more political, almost like the hijab. In the aftermath of October 7th, three Palestinians students were shot in Vermont, USA because they spoke Arabic, but what is intriguing about the reports is how it is mentioned that of them were wearing the keffiyeh, a symbol in the Palestian community. So I find it very bold that Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik decided to use it. It makes one wonder what it would mean for someone to buy and wear clothing inspired by it. It won't just be a question of aesthetic.
Thank you so much for covering this. So many essays start with "PFW can often seem insulated from what's happening in the world," but if you're really listening and watching, it's not at all. Many of us were shocked to see Pharell's Pont Neuf take over just a few weeks after pension protesters stormed LVMH offices in that very same spot. Many discussions were had, but very little written. On GmbH, however, I'm curious if you think Joelle Diderich deserves the cancellation she's getting for her coverage of the show? Either way, attention is oxygen for activists, so kudos to you and all journalists for giving it.
that's a really good question, i think one thing many won't realize is just how intense the work of runway show reporting is — editors have to work to very tight deadlines, often with very little information from the brand (or none at all). it's easy to mis-interpret things (i've gotten into trouble for it before in the past) as editors are also looking for themes and visual cues in the collection. having said that, i think the speech given beforehand would make it pretty clear that the GmbH guys had zero bad intentions
Alec, I agree with every word you wrote here and love the fact that you highlight how much fear the world is having to talk about the horrors of this war. It is heartbreaking that this industry, or any other for that matter, which until this moment had started being so vocal on political and social issues felt that it couldn’t speak its mind up. It is terrifying that as citizens and professionals we are scared to say what we really think. This is a good opportunity to learn more about Israel’s government and as Naomi Klein pointed out recently use our collective power to demand for justice. Thank you for your article.
I read your post with interest and agree with you that there is something fundamentally broken in our world if people are becoming unable to express their honest and respectful opinion publicly, asking for ceasefire and acknowledgement of inhumanity of over 25,000 innocent Palestinians deaths, following the atrocious attack on Israel civilians in early October. I would only add that it's not just the young who are rebelling against this, but middle-aged and elders too. In the world that screams for peace, it's the military spending that continues to rise, not investment in education, health, creativity. Thank you for this post Alec
thank you for the thoughtful response, galina!
Thank you Alec for this post.
I think there is much to be said about fashion mutism on certain issues and its "overvocality" on other issues. We can assume that the silence in the fashion industry is yes, due to fear to lose one's income, but there is also the need to say that some of the most prominent figures of the industry support - albeit discreetly - Israel. The Chanel's owners made a 4 million dollars donation to organisations aiding Israeli, yet no word about or help towards Palestinians suffering in Gaza.
To go back to GmbH's runway, I found very symbolic both founder wore the keffiyeh and let it be the leitmotiv of their collection as this piece of clothing has become more and more political, almost like the hijab. In the aftermath of October 7th, three Palestinians students were shot in Vermont, USA because they spoke Arabic, but what is intriguing about the reports is how it is mentioned that of them were wearing the keffiyeh, a symbol in the Palestian community. So I find it very bold that Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik decided to use it. It makes one wonder what it would mean for someone to buy and wear clothing inspired by it. It won't just be a question of aesthetic.
thank you for your thoughts, emmanuelle!
The “chilling effect”.... I’m glad to know there’s a word for it.
Thank you so much for covering this. So many essays start with "PFW can often seem insulated from what's happening in the world," but if you're really listening and watching, it's not at all. Many of us were shocked to see Pharell's Pont Neuf take over just a few weeks after pension protesters stormed LVMH offices in that very same spot. Many discussions were had, but very little written. On GmbH, however, I'm curious if you think Joelle Diderich deserves the cancellation she's getting for her coverage of the show? Either way, attention is oxygen for activists, so kudos to you and all journalists for giving it.
that's a really good question, i think one thing many won't realize is just how intense the work of runway show reporting is — editors have to work to very tight deadlines, often with very little information from the brand (or none at all). it's easy to mis-interpret things (i've gotten into trouble for it before in the past) as editors are also looking for themes and visual cues in the collection. having said that, i think the speech given beforehand would make it pretty clear that the GmbH guys had zero bad intentions
Can recommend this: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/RC-017590/a-history-of-antisemitism/
Alec, I agree with every word you wrote here and love the fact that you highlight how much fear the world is having to talk about the horrors of this war. It is heartbreaking that this industry, or any other for that matter, which until this moment had started being so vocal on political and social issues felt that it couldn’t speak its mind up. It is terrifying that as citizens and professionals we are scared to say what we really think. This is a good opportunity to learn more about Israel’s government and as Naomi Klein pointed out recently use our collective power to demand for justice. Thank you for your article.
You are very welcome. Meaningful & honest dialogue on topics such as this is more vital than ever