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The first post-Trump, post-Brexit fashion weeks are in full swing — and through the goods on display at the men’s fashion weeks in Europe, we’re getting a first look at the clothes we’re going to be shopping in the aftermath.
High-end menswear designers seem to be responding with two kinds of clothes: as many comfortably, enveloping chunky layers as possible, or clothes designed for a militant revolution.
The most literal example of the latter is Monday’s Moschino show by Jeremy Scott. Scott says he’d already started designing the collection before Trump won, but he told the New York Times the election “was consuming me to the point that I had to stop watching the news.”
Those feelings bled over into a collection that would look at home in your local Army Surplus spot. One model came out dressed in full uniform, an olive green military jacket and trousers paired with combat boots. There were also coats and bottoms printed with Transformers images, calling to mind the robots’ good versus evil battles, according to the Times.
“I feel like we have to fight for art,” Scott said. “It’s the war we’re in.”
Japanese designer Mihara Yasuhiro’s Miharayasuhiro collection was a similar call to arms, channeling the rebellious ‘60s in response to the anxiety around President-elect Trump. “I look around now and see all the young people who are scared about President Trump and what that will mean,” he told Vogue. The result is models in berets, alluding to the Black Panthers and Che Guevara.
Others lobbied for softer armor, a.k.a. clothes that you might wear at home while curled up in front of crackling fire, waiting for the outside world to pass you by. Irish-born Jonathan Anderson of J.W. Anderson wrapped his fall 2017 models in warm knits and blanket-like patterns. They are “falling into a womb of fashion,” he told the Times, adding that the new collection is “like a modern armor.”
Craig Green designed from a “fear of the unknown” and came out with big wool coats, padded jackets, and rugs. Lots of rugs. Pieces of his collection look perfectly acceptable for both naps and battle.
Meanwhile, Prada’s show was a call for more humanity. The corduroy-heavy collection was all about “the desire for reality, humanity, and simpleness,” designer Miuccia Prada told Vogue.
There’s no doubt that it has gotten increasingly more difficult to engage in a conversation, look at the internet, or watch television without hearing about political unrest. This includes designers who are going to affect trends and the way we dress in the new era. Looks like shoppers will have two different types of armor to choose from.