Fashion in the news: the power of yellow vests

Every Friday, FashionUnited selects the most interesting reads about the
fashion industry published across UK and international news outlets. Here’s
what you may have missed:

The importance of fashion for political protests

Protesters wearing yellow vests have taken France by storm since
November. Initially motivated by a sharp increase in diesel taxes, the
movement has grown to express a much broader discontent on the part of the
lower middle classes living in the country’s smaller cities. From factory
workers to the retired elderly, the yellow vests have come to represent all
the French who struggle to make ends meet.

The protests are already jeopardizing holiday sales. Last weekend,
fashion retailers such as Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Zara and Mango
were forced to evacuate stores and shut their doors because protesters were
vandalizing shops at Paris’ most luxurious avenue, Champs Elysées. Masked
groups also depredated monuments, burned cars and clashed with the police,
which resulted in the arrest of more than 250 people. As more protests are set to take place this weekend, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and Citadium already decided to shut their doors on Saturday and only resume operations on Monday. Consequently, many
consumers have been opting to stay home, causing sales to drop 35 percent
compared to the same period in 2017, according to the French Ministry of
Finance.

The announcement of a U-turn on fuel taxes failed to quiet the movement
down, which prompted many news outlets the world over to delve into who the
yellow vests are, what they want and how the French government can take
control of the situation. But the most interesting piece of the week was
published by the New York Times. The American newspaper turned its eyes to
the yellow vest itself, attributing the success of the movement to this
powerful visual symbol. In fact, sartorial choices have been crucial to
several political movements throughout History, from the Sans-culottes
during the French revolution to the tie-dye of the hippie generation and
the pink pussy hats worn by the Women’s marches against Donald Trump in
2017. Click to read their look back at the most iconic
pieces of protest fashion.

2018, the year of Virgil Abloh

It’s safe to say this has been the best year in Virgil Abloh’s meteoric
career. Six years after launching streetwear label Off-White, Abloh is
becoming one of the most influential names in fashion. Everybody wanted to
associate their brands with him this year. He was appointed Creative
Director of Menswear at Louis Vuitton in March. His sneakers with Nike are
one of the year’s most sought-after items, with shoppers willing to pay
above retail price on resale websites. A collaboration with luxury luggage
label Rimowa was equally successful. A rug collection with Ikea is in the
works for 2019. He even designed limited-edition champagne bottles for Moët
& Chandon and has been appointed Creative Advisor for Sustainable
Innovation Design at Evian. Yes, Evian, the mineral water brand owned by
Danone. Last but definitely not least, Abloh was the topic of two
exhibitions this year, one at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and
another at Ssense’s retail space in Montréal.

One cannot help but wonder: is Abloh’s image moving towards a saturation
point? Even if it is, that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. This
week, Abloh shared details about his creative process in a candid interview
with Dazed. “Art and fashion are just places where a dialogue on reality
should be captured and expressed, the means to an end”, he told the
publication. Read the interview in full .