Throughout history, designers have used fashion to make political statements. Karl Lagerfeld staged a feminist protest for the 2014 Chanel show at Paris Fashion Week. Katherine Hamnet famously met Margaret Thatcher in a protest T-shirt, while Vivienne Westwood and Pyer Moss made bold statements through clothing on climate change and police brutality, respectively. This past election cycle alone, prominent members of the fashion community literally wore political support on their sleeves.
It appears, however, that Tommy Hilfiger doesn’t believe that designers should even get “political.” At least when it comes to dressing Melania Trump.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, Hilfiger responded to a question Monday about fellow designer Sophie Theallet’s recent vow to never to work with the incoming first lady due to “the rhetoric of racism, sexism and xenophobia unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign.”
“I think Melania is a very beautiful woman and I think any designer should be proud to dress her,” he reportedly said. “Ivanka [Trump] is equally as beautiful and smart, although she wears her own clothes. I don’t think people should become political about it.”
He went on to compare the issue to designers being willing to work with the current first lady, stating “everyone was very happy to dress Michelle Obama as well” ― as if there’s really a comparison to be made between the two camps.
While many designers have stayed quiet in the wake of Theallet’s letter, we’re not sure how many in the heavily pro-Hillary Clinton field are going to share Hilfiger’s sentiment with quite as much gusto.
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