FASHION, POLITICS & MARKETING /PR C A P S T O N E P R O J E C T B Y A R E G N A Z H A R U T Y U N Y A N C L A S S O F 2 0 1 8 D E P A R T M E N T O F E N G L I S H A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S A M E R I C A N U N I V E R S I T Y O F A R M E N I A M A Y 2 1, 2 0 1 8
Introduction Political influences in the fashion world and vice versa started occurring centuries ago, the relationship between the two worlds has been at its peak roughly since 2015 Upstart and well-established high fashion brands started making constant political statements on the runway
Central Research Questions Are high fashion brands being genuine in their political claims in the past few years? Are well-established high fashion brands making highly political statements to maintain their reputation and avoid judgement? Are upstart high fashion brands trying to gain popularity and attention with their political claims? Will collections inspired by current political issues maintain popularity among consumers on the longterm?
Methodology Email interviews A survey Data collection & analysis
Interviews Chloe Recine - CEO of Hauturely Austin Rassmussen - manager of Hauturely Melina Morry - fashion blogger, freelancer A PR professional
Survey & Data analysis The survey was spread among young fashion enthusiasts Dior's annual financial reports from 2014 and 2017
Historical Background Chanel's two-piece knitted suit YSl first women's tuxedo
Well-established brands that have made political statements from the start Alexander McQueen Vivienne Westwood Hussein Chalayan Jean Paul Gautier Stella McCartney
Well established brands making current political statements Tommy Hilfiger Prabal Gurgung Balenciaga Dior, Calvin Klein Marc Jacobs Christian Siriano
Well established & upstart Apolitical brands Louis Vuitton Hermes Aremani Fendi Azzedine Alaia Givenchy Valentino Carolina Herrera Attico Jacquemus Halpern Rejina Pyo
Well established & upstart Apolitical brands Louis Vuitton Hermes Aremani Fendi Azzedine Alaia Givenchy Valentino Carolina Herrera Attico Jacquemus Halpern Rejina Pyo
Gucci & Jacquemus as apolitical successes
Dior's increased sales and popularity due to the feminist statements 2014 Annual Financial Report
Dior's increased sales and popularity due to the feminist statements 2017 Annual Financial Report
Dior's increased sales and popularity due to the feminist statements
Interview & Survey Conclusions Interviews - Genuine political brands according to professionslas working in the field: Moschino, Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford - Experts aren't the biggest fans of politicized designs, however they do appreaciate them -Political fashion according to the professionals' responses doesn't have a future - Almsot all of them feel pressure to feature political fashion on their platforms
Interview & Survey Conclusions Survey - The majority of the participants agree that the main reason fashion brands get political is to gain/maintaint a reputation -The majority of the participants think it is ethical/right for fashion brands to become political - Majority of the participants like politicized runway clothing, however not all of them would purchase these kind of pieces if given the opportunity - Majority of survey takers think political garments will continue being popular -Genuine brands mentioned by participants: Dior, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Vetements
Conclusion - Genuineness of current political statements is still subject for dispute - Fashion houses that have been making pol. statements from the start are definitely genuine - The future of political fashion is not fully possible to predict - Upstart fashion brands seem to be sacrificing the fashion for politics
Limitations & Avenues for Future - lack of academic sources - Difficulty getting in touch with bloggers/professionals working in the field - Difficulty collecting enough survey responses - An academic base for future researches/students - Industry insights & articles useful for future references - A base for a fashion portfolio