Fashion and Politics: Gabriella Karefa-Johnson vs Kanye West
History claims that art has been used as political propaganda and the representation of idealizations and beliefs since the beginning of time. Fashion is wearable art. Therefore the use of fashion as a form of speech is far from unethical. It creates room for dialogue, allowing all opinions to be expressed. As political turmoil has increased, so have reactions.
Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson recently explained her frustrations and opposition against Kanye West’s Yeezy show during Paris Fashion Week 2022. West debuted a collection of “White Lives Matter” T-shirts in order to make a statement he considered amusing and blatantly obvious. However, it caused mass uproar and confusion from the audience and critics — an almost dystopian occurence.
Karefa-Johnson used a respectful approach to properly navigate such a controversial topic. She began by trying to reason. Perhaps, Karefa-Johnson explained, West may be correct in assuming that in the future, white lives would be endangered due to a complete restructuring of history. This would then require a movement similar to the recent and powerful “Black Lives Matter” movements. She even affirmed his strange “Duchamp” approach to political topics. However, her uncertainty of this theory and her original negative opinions, that the collection was “deeply offensive, violent, and dangerous”, drew ample attention from the media and West himself. Karefa-Johnson’s civil approach ignited a revengeful fire under West.
Kanye West responded with comments directly pointed toward Karefa-Johnson, her appearance, character, and career. Although this approach is common for West, his outrage disturbed the media, drawing attention from model Gigi Hadid, actress Gabrielle Union, and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour — all in support of Karefa-Johnson. The matters were further discussed in a meeting facilitated by Wintour.
The moral of the story is that fashion has indeed proved its potential to influence politics and culture, on and off the red carpet. Dressing politically will always be in trend. It can be dangerous or it can be revolutionary. Both sides deserve to be heard, yet both sides must maintain respect, reason, and take responsibility.
Xoxo,
Annie
