One of the best parts of being a designer is the ability to advertise and push political messages that I believe warrant dialogue. In previous years, I have focused a lot on ageism. I've become very vocal with the fact that most advertising and imagery in fashion represents girls who are under 24; who are photo shopped and retouched, as a beacon of what women should look like. It sets a very low bar for the future of women. This message is incredibly destructive for all women, as well as for future generations. Women are beautiful at every age and should be respected and revered for what they've accomplished. Accomplishment should be considered sexy, desired and a point of strength.
For my Spring ’15 campaign, I chose a very good friend of mine, Iris Apfel, whose passion to be in the center of life, speak her mind in an incredibly unedited way and have a fearless approach to individuality with fashion, has become a beacon for many women (including young girls). Iris founded World Weavers, a textile company that produced some of the most elaborate fabrics I’ve seen. They’ve decorated the White House from 1960 to 2000, as well as countless other buildings.
At the other end of the spectrum, I chose Tavi Gevinson for my campaign as well. Today, Tavi is 19 years old and revolutionized the world of blogging when she was a mere 12 years of age. It would be easy to have discounted her ability and chalk up her blogging to that of a child, but she had the vision to understand that the world of blogging was where social media would go. She was right. Tavi has since expanded her career into acting and is now starring on Broadways’ This Is Our Youth. She's a nonconformist, an independent thinker and ahead of her time.
I hope you like the images as much as I enjoyed creating them. It's at the grassroots that every change begins.
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