Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Designer Calls On Fashion Industry To Support BLM

Maxwell Osborne has penned an open letter - entitled Why I Stand with Black Lives Matter - to the fashion industry, calling for it to support the movement.

"I write this open letter to encourage the fashion industry to not just continue the dialogue of race in America, but to do something about it," the DKNY and Public School designer wrote for W magazine. "Fashion exists in a world of make believe. Our job is to offer an escape from everyday life and a fantasy of glamour and beautiful clothes. It's easy to forget the real world with its very real problems. But it doesn't have to be that way."

"Fashion is always at its best when it looks outside of itself for inspiration and holds up a mirror to society," he continued. "Sometimes we do that on the runway and sometimes when we come together as an industry and take up important causes, like so many of our peers have and continue to do with breast cancer and HIV/AIDS."


Revealing that he attended his first protest last week, following the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police officers, Osborne outlined how individuals within the industry can aid the cause.

"Encourage diversity on your runways and campaigns. Empower your social media fans to raise their voices. Use your designs for the public good. Attend a protest and see change in action. Raise awareness - it's not as empty a gesture as it may seem - and others will follow your lead."

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