Advocate For A Cause In Style

By Amanda Cohen on March 21, 2016

Fashion has an inherent definition of being completely materialistic, not contributing much to the world other than mass consumerism. However, this is truly not the case. Fashion goes so far beyond finding the perfect dress for a college date function or for that cocktail party you just got invited to … fashion truly aids in creating pivotal changes in society. Fashion and activism come together in ways that range from huge, statement-making changes, to smaller, yet just as effective, changes.

After doing some research, I found various movements that utilize style as a platform for change, some of which I even participate in without realizing.

Future is the Future

Future is the Future, a clothing store based out of Toronto, Canada, prides itself on providing gender-neutral clothing. They sell a variety of garments that come in all different colors, patterns, materials, and general styles. Rather than having two separate, gender-binary sections on their website, they organize their clothes by measurement (measurements of which are able to fit any body type).

Much needed awareness about trans-genders, trans-sexual individuals, drag queens, cross-dressers, non-gender conforming people, and gender-fluid individuals has finally come to more of a forefront in society this past year. Learning about different gender-stances is one thing, but embracing the idea that gender is non-binary is another thing. Clothing stores like Future is the Future are essentially the founders of non-gender binary activism through fashion. Join the movement and, as Future is the Future says, “Clothing aisles don’t decide who you are. That’s your job.”

Photo via. http://static1.squarespace.com

#FreeTheNip

Free the nipple (better known as free the nip) is a campaign that sprung up after the release of Linda Esco’s movie Free the Nipple in 2014. The campaign revolves around the double standard of men being able to be shown topless in real life and film, while women get ostracized for breast feeding in public. The general aim of the movement is to eliminate gender double standards and female objectification and sexualization. The entire movement’s relationship to fashion goes so far beyond walking around topless and/or putting tape over your nipples.

Clothing designers, whether they are doing it intentionally or not, are eliminating padding and bras from their clothing items. Bathing suits rarely are padded anymore, and the thin material does not hide much. Bralettes are on the rise as a replacement for regular bras, and models usually never wear bras when posing for clothing ads anymore. Designers and hardcore activists have joined together to make breasts and everything that has to do with breasts less taboo.

Photo via. http://img.timeinc.net

Dressing for the Arctic

Alexandra Taylor strives to combine her love of designing and her passion for real-world issues. Her research on the tragic depletion of Arctic glaciers made quite the statement at the 2013 New York Fashion Week. Glacier size and the amount of solid ice in comparison to water and land has seen a dramatic decrease since the late 1900s.

Let’s look at Peru’s Quelccaya ice cap to put this information into perspective: “Peru’s Quelccaya ice cap is the largest in the tropics. If it continues to melt at its current rate — contracting more than 600 feet (182.8 meters) a year in some places — it will be gone by 2100, leaving thousand who relay on its water for drinking and electricity high, dry, and in the dark” (Daniel Glick).

This information is terrifying and Alexandra Taylor decided to use her frustration and talent and put it to good use.

The clothing she designed is described as comfortable and flattering. Some of her pieces utilized actual images of glaciers that she found as their patterns, while others had their shapes and color scheme inspired by the various pictures. Women who wear her clothes report feeling confident and rewarded, as they too were helping advocate for such a worthwhile cause. Alexandra Taylor epitomizes the idea that fashion is so much more than a materialistic hobby.

Photo via. http://www.beautynewsnyc.com

Save the Elephants

The Elephant Pants formed in 2014 to put a stop to elephant poaching. In the years 2010 through 2012, over 100,000 elephants were illegally hunted and killed by greedy, ruthless ivory hunters. The founders did the math and if the world keeps up this horrific rate of elephant poaching, 50 percent of the entire elephant population will be gone in the next 35 years. In order to combat this situation, The Elephant Pants decided to utilize a fantastic platform — fashion.

When the company first started, they sold only their signature, loose-fitting elephant pants. The pants are one-size-fits-all, the exact same style, but they have a plethora of patterns. This year, the company expanded and began selling items such as rompers, shorts, leggings, backpacks, and t-shirts … all of which boast their signature patterns. The items are relatively cheap for such high-quality and stylish clothing, and, if you are still skeptical, look on their website and learn more about their mission.

All proceeds go towards the Ranger Program of the African Wildlife Foundation, which (1) educates the public about illegal ivory trading, (2) supplies rangers and workers with the proper items necessary to combat illegal elephant poaching, and (3) pays landowners in Africa so that they will keep their land open to wildlife, rather than selling their land to developers.

Photo via. http://40.media.tumblr.com

Chanel Channels Feminism

At first glance, Karl Lagerfeld does not look like he would be a huge proponent of feminism; however this has never been the case. He strongly believes that women deserve to have equal rights and he feels that our world is not doing enough to push the dream of “He for She” into reality. Instead of issuing a statement or writing an article on why his clothing helps support feminism, he did something way more drastic, moving and awesome.

During this year’s Paris Fashion Week, he screamed for change. After the general strutting of models down the catwalk, he changed the game. All of the models, including Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevingne, stormed the runway wearing statement-making, psychedelic clothing holding up signs that call for equality (of course Delevingne, a huge public figure of feminism, was screaming into a loud speaker). An act of activism like this one is not common on the prim-and-proper Paris catwalk, but Lagerfeld initiated conversations about feminism through a bold act performed by even bolder and admirable women.

Photo via. http://www.theguardian.com

There are so many ways to get involved in advocating for worthwhile causes. I ask you, my fellow fashionistas, to advocate in style. Each one of these movements encompasses an even larger phenomenon of combining fashion with humanitarianism. Honestly, you get the best of both worlds: what more could you ask for?

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