Apparel Online India Magazine February 1st Issue 2019 | Page 13

WORLD WRAP
of basics, Calvin Klein launched Calvin
Klein Pride capsule and donated the
revenue collected to Human Rights
Campaign, while Gap Inc. launched
the ‘Wear Your Pride’ collection and
H&M introduced its first-ever ‘Cohesive
Collection’ dedicated to support the
LGBTQ community. Other major names
that were soon to join the movement
were Kenneth Cole with the Pride
Kam Sneakers, J Crew’s ‘Love First’
collection, Tommy Hilfiger’s inclusion
of rainbow colours in their logo and
Speedo’s rainbow swimwear collection.
Nike, Levi’s, American Apparel and
Adidas joined the community too.
The movement also gave rise to
smaller retail groups such as
e-retailer Ease-In-Tees and Queer
Theory which retail clothes,
accessories and jewellery reprising
the LGBTQ along with.
The era of Gender Fluid fashion on
runways is emblematic of how gender
norms no longer dictate the runways.
The trends are changing globally
as was seen in the gender-neutral
Spring and Fall 2019 collections of
designers such as Stockholm’s Selam
Fessahaye; Copenhagen’s Stine Goya;
Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and
Rolf Snoeren; Hedi Slimane of French
fashion brand Celine; American
designer Harris Reed and quirky
fashion house Moschino.
With body positivity as a trending
notion, Michael Kors showcased
its first body positive collection
in NYFW Fall 2017, while Dolce &
Gabbana presented its Spring 2019
RTW collection through a plethora
of models without any age, size, race
or gender bar. Brands like Good
American and Nike launched the plus-
size collection for sportswear, while
e-retailers like ASOS and ModCloth
introduced their plus-size lines for
e-commerce. Street-inspired brand
Forever 21 introduced plus-size denim
line 12×12 and broke the internet
with instrumental campaigns. With
the fire caused by Me Too and Time’s
Up movements, the task of rebuking
against sexual harassment was taken
up by Victoria Beckham and Prabal
Gurung fashion lines.
A staple fashion statement or a
radical fashion practice, an outfit can
Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton S/S ’19 Show in pride colours
ESSENTIALS
The pride movement
also inspired the
runways as Virgil Abloh
introduced his first
menswear collection for
S/S ‘19 as the Creative
Director of Louis Vuitton
in a vivid collection
of Pride colours and
gender-fluid silhouettes.
mean both, or either for the wearer.
Thus, the utilisation of fashion to
make a difference is exactly what
the industry is opting for. It has
two-way benefits – the involvement
of the consumer in something bigger
and the subsequent profits that are
ensured for the retailers. This is the
Trickle-down Theory of Fashion:
the ramp starts it; the hangers
follow it and then the consumer
understands it.
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