Donald Trump’s second presidency has sent shockwaves across industries since Monday – and fashion is no different. If, on the surface at least, the culture around fashion tends to skew centre left, this is is also ultimately a business about making money, and that means keeping the powerful onside.
Major players showed their true colours last week. Among the tech billionaires and surprise celebrities at Trump’s inauguration was Bernard Arnault, the CEO of fashion conglomerate LVMH, with two of his children, Delphine and Alexandre. Trump’s daughter Ivanka, meanwhile, wore LVMH brand Dior, while Usha Vance (wife of JD) went for Oscar de la Renta. Though new first lady Melania wore relatively unknown designer Adam Lippes, her stylist Hervé Pierre told Women’s Wear Daily that more brands are now keen to dress her for the publicity, compared with the last time she was in the White House.
Eugene Rabkin, editor of StyleZeitgeist magazine, says the Arnaults’ presence at the inauguration speaks volumes. “At the high-revenue level some brands operate at, they cannot afford to make an enemy of Trump,” he argues.
But if the big business of fashion is keen to make nice with the new president – partially with the threat of tariffs on luxury European goods coming into the States – some independent brands are more vocally against him.
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Willy Chavarria is in the latter camp. The American designer celebrates the 10th anniversary of his brand this year, with his first show in Paris this week. Over that time, he has become known for diverse and unusual casting, a tailored but oversized silhouette, and work with musicians including Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish. His references often centre around his Mexican-American heritage and LGBTQI+ culture.
This show – at the American Cathedral – brought the trademarks of Chavarria’s aesthetic, and even featured a red Chevrolet outside. It had a diverse cast of men and women across ethnicities and body types, wearing his signature wide suiting, cowboy hats and sportswear, including pieces created with Adidas. There were two performances – one from J Balvin, and the other from an operatic singer in a red ballgown. Some pieces were from old collections, re-sourced on eBay. One of the new suits is also now available to buy on the site, with all proceeds going to the California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund, which helps those affected by the wildfires in LA.
A statement was made at the end of his show when models gathered at the flower-covered alter while the speech that episcopalian minister Mariann Edgar Budde made at Trump’s inauguration, asking the president to “have mercy” on immigrants and those in the LGBTQI+ community, was played.
Before his show, Chavarria explained that it was focused on “the importance of human identity, our existence and the importance of persistence and resistance”. He argued that as an American designer, he is “aware of what’s happening”, but it’s important to see wider trends too. “We’re seeing so much oppression globally, and so much hate, the real message of the show is to embrace humanity in a better way.”
Part of this, says Chavarria, is solidarity. He pointed to fellow designers Jerry Lorenzo (who walked in his show) and Rick Owens as like-minded people in the industry. “We have so much oppression ahead of us,” he said. “We have to stand together.”
Others are making their thoughts known too – notably Miuccia Prada, who was a member of the Communist party as a young woman. When asked about the impact of Trump after her show, she said: “The world has become conservative, and what is happening is horrible.” Her collection was a response to the algorithms pushed by Trump allies Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. “It [the collection] is about liberating instinct,” she said. “As always it is an answer to what is happening. We have to resist.”
Antwerp designer Walter Van Beirendonck, meanwhile, said the fashion world was “afraid” of Trump and his impact on their bottom line. “They [designers] should talk more,” he told AFP. “They are all afraid of selling less. The money is an issue – that’s why we see the most incredible things happening and nobody is reacting.”
While the industry roundly rejected the Trump administration the last time he was in the White House, this is a different environment. “There is a fear of the tariffs, but also [that] if you get on the wrong side of this administration, there will be repercussions directed at [your business],” says Alexander Fury, the fashion features director of AnOther magazine.
Rabkin agrees, pointing out Trump’s unpredictability as a factor too. “Businesses will prefer to either stay away out of his spotlight or make friends, because the traditional rule book of negotiation and reason does not apply here.”
