As Miuccia Prada said – “What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.”                                                               

This quote by Miuccia Prada prominently holds more value than we can imagine in the political world around the globe. People wear certain clothes to stand up for something or to make a statement.

The Power of Political Dressing

There are different ways in which power is represented and articulated through a piece of clothing. A clothing article has functionality of compelling political language. Moreover, it highlights social and political transformation that could not be observed through verbal or written structure.

In the era of colonization, colonial powers used clothing to assert domination. However, various colonized societies employed the  politics of clothing to demonstrate the culture of the colonized society and revolt against the colonizers. On 22nd September 1921, Mahatma Gandhi decided to wear an attire to Loincloth or Dhoti, not as a revolt but to identify himself with the poor masses^[1], and a symbol of humility and ahimsa. However, Africans used western fabric to suit their own agenda.^[2] In Algeria, choice of dress played a key role in the success of the Algerian war of resistance against French cultural aggression^[3]. In Tanzania and Zanzibar, clothing was used to display affiliation with anti-Western sentiment^[4]. Among the Masai of Tanzania, traditional dress served as a point of conflict on the country’s path towards modernity.^[5]

“Attire is a powerful visual means of communicating ideology, whether political, social or religious. The dress can symbolize ideological orthodoxy, as well as revolt”^[6]

Politicians are not considered style icons but more like binaries. They have uniforms to wear and responsibility to carry. However, it is a fact that the politicians have an image to hold and values to portray. Politicians across the globe have chosen a style that asserts their philosophy or beliefs and have used their attire as a medium of communication through which they aim to evoke an emotional response and connect at the grassroots and cultural level. They carefully craft their style to uphold their values in society. Their clothes are part of their message.

From Narendra Modi in India to Kamala Harris in the United States of America, all have never backed down from their style to show what they believe.

India

In India, there are many leaders who make a style statement or we can say a belief statement. Here are a few prominent and notable ones.

Narendra Modi: When Narendra Modi dresses, the world watches[7]. A category of kurtas and jackets have been christened ‘Modi’; cashmere shawls in bright colors over a dapper suit are in vogue. Wearing khadi is a trend, and occasionally replacing the pocket square with a Mont Blanc pen has become a thing to do. One can call it sheer elegance or a symbol of profligacy but even those not interested in politics haven’t been able to ignore the Prime Minister of the country, sporting his Movado watches and rimless Bvlgari glasses.[8]

Omar Abdullah: He has a bold style while maintaining a local touch in his attire. He is not afraid to bring the Kashmiri pheran in the front seat. From a pathan suit topped by a gilet, to a trench draped over the de rigueur navy suit, sherwanis, and bandhgalas.^[9]

The Gandhi’s: This family has a legacy, not only in politics but in the fashion department too. From Nehru Ji’s iconic Nehru Jacket and a khadi cap donning his forehead to Rajiv Gandhi introducing dark shades, sneakers and sleeveless fleece jackets with khadi kurta-pajamas^[10]. Whereas, Indira Gandhi ventured out in rose pink Tanchois, exquisite Banarasi saris and fresh handlooms. Sonia Gandhi additionally followed the comparable pattern of Khadi material plain handloom sari, and Priyanka Gandhi can be said to be quite experimental when it comes to her style. She showcases the best of both worlds; from a sari to casual trousers and tops.

The Thackeray’s: The three generations of Thackeray have their own unique take on evoking the emotions of the people. Bal Thackeray’s initial attire of shirt and pants of the urban office worker was aimed at the Maharashtrian audience that aspired to be part of the urban office space. However, later he abandoned that style and started wearing orange-colored clothes to relate with the Hindutva agenda. Uddhav Thackeray, son of Bal Thackeray and Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has always kept his look minimal with bright and neutral color sadra-pajama that relates closely with the Maharashtrian people. On the other hand, his son Aaditya Thackeray has a blend of local and modern attire. He is more relatable to the younger generation in the nation.

There are few politicians in India like Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal who shouts a message of simplicity. Mamata Banerjee’s trademark simple white cotton saree with a mono-colored blue border and her signature hawai chappals, and Kejriwal’s muffler resonates with common people.

Around the World

It’s not a hidden fact that internationally politicians have hired people to manage their image through their styles. Image management is considered to be a full-time job in the western world. The aim is to build connections with the people.

International world leaders have carefully constructed an image that conveyed authority, elegance and decorum. The left-wing leaders (Italian politico Benito Mussolini) choose khaki regimental attire. Whereas the dictators (Adolf Hitler) have chosen a military attire to assert power and authority.

When it comes to world politics, how can we forget Queen Elizabeth. She is the most notable world leader when it comes to showing her style and conveying her message. Her style is filled with vibrant colors and is always poised and strategically curated. The Queen’s styling choices are as much a form of diplomacy as they are an expression of identity.^[11] Queen’s daughter-in-law, Sophie Rhys-Jones, the Countess of Wessex has been quoted in the documentary ‘The Queen at 90’  saying that “She needs to stand out for people to be able to say ‘I saw the Queen’.”^[12]

The political leaders in America like Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump have indirectly developed their persona through their style. On many occasions, Kamala Harris can be seen wearing an affordable American household shoe, ‘Converse’ with her pantsuit. It conveys the message of simplicity, affordability, and comfort in the eyes of the American people. Pantsuits are considered power dressing and usually draw a connection with men’s attire until 2016, where Hillary Clinton made pantsuits her go-to outfit during her presidential campaign. Pantsuits connotes confidence and determination. Her style is subtle but a vital fashion statement. The Trumps are no less when it comes to making belief statements. Trump’s campaign team during the 2016 presidential campaign sold MAGA hats (baseball hats) with the slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ that resonated with a lot of Americans and their favorite sport, baseball! However, on the other then first-lady Melania Trump raised many eyebrows when she visited migrant children on the U.S.- Mexico border, with a jacket that read, “I Really Don’t Care. Do U?”. Another significant Trump is Ivanka Trump, who has been involved in the business of fashion since 2007, from launching a shoe collection to fine jewelry. In 2014, she launched her clothing brand and, during Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential Campaign, she showed up in her own products^[13]. However, later in 2018, the news broke that she decided to shut down the brand.

Making a Fashionably Political Statement

Everyone loves making a fashion statement. Especially people from the world of politics and glamor. Making a fashion statement is an old phenomenon and has a controversial past. It’s like wearing your heart on your sleeve. The people in positions of power have taken every chance to convey their solidarity and support to social causes through their fashion choices

The Merger of Fashion and Politics

• Katy Perry’s Dress (2012): The pop star wore a blue latex dress during a Democratic rally that read ‘Forward’ while performing at the Delta Center in Milwaukee showing her strong support to Obama.
• NBA Player’s Tribute (2014): Killing of black men by police officers for no reason is an old phenomenon in the USA. Once such an incident in 2014 evoked a havoc when a man from Staten Island named Eric Garner was killed by the police officer, and was heard saying “I can’t breathe”. Days after then Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose sported an “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt during a warm-up game^[14]. Players from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams, Jarrett Jack, and Alan Anderson), wore one during pregame warm-ups as well^[15].
• The Black Saga at the Golden Globes (2018): Sexual harassment has prevailed all around the world, and across all industries since a very long time. However, it was #Timesup in 2017 when survivors came out and spoke about the sexual harassment in the Hollywood which gave rise to global #Metoo movement. To show their support and solidarity to all the women survivors, from Issa Rae to Aziz Ansari, Reece Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Oprah, and Ava DuVernay were dressed in black during 2018 Golden Globes awards.
• Sushant Singh Rajput Case (2020): The world was into a global health crisis, and in the middle of that the Bollywood, fans, and family of Sushant Singh Rajput had to grieve his loss when the news broke of his suicide in June 2020. The prime accused in the case, Rhea Chakraborty was subject to a lot of witch hunt from the media to his fans. On 8 September 2020,  she hinted her aggression by wearing a casual t-shirt that read “Roses are red, violets are blue, let’s smash the patriarchy; me and you”. Many Bollywood celebrities reshared the image and showed solidarity with the actress.

This Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez look from the Met Gala 2021 is the latest addition to the movement to grab the world’s attention to social issues. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an American politician (Congresswoman for NY-14: Bronx and Queens) and activist. When AOC (as popularly known) posted this picture on her Instagram handle with the caption – “The medium is the message. The time is now for childcare, healthcare, and climate action for all. Tax the Rich” she steered a buzz not only in the fashion world but in the political world too.

Fashion gives opportunities for self-expression, especially for powerful people. Over the years, fashion has come to the rescue when words have failed. It’s safe to conclude that people in positions of power create an impact on the people around them and communicate their agenda.

References:

^[1] S. Balakrishnan, What made Gandhiji wear only Loincloth or Dhoti, 16 September 2016 13:24 IST, Press Information Bureau – Government of India Special Service and Features

^[2] Giselle Aris, The Power and Politics of Dress in Africa, 2 (Undergraduate Humanities Forum 2006-7: Travel, 2007)

^[3] Ibid

^[4] Supra note 2

^[5] Supra note 2

^[6] According to Nandita Abraham, professor and president, Pearl Academy (2021 cited in The Politics of Fashion: From PM Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi – a window into philosophy & belief system of politicians)

[7] https://www.hindustantimes.com/fashion-and-trends/when-narendra-modi-dresses-world-watches-his-top-10-fashion-moments/story-s7Y4VziZnJGElFVWcQRz6I.html

[8] https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/four-years-of-high-fashion-pm-modis-sartorial-sense-is-a-hit-2575911.html

^[9] Nishat Fatima, The Fashion of Politics, 09 April 2018 14:27 IST https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/fashion/the-fashion-of-politics/article23457008.ece

^[10] Ibid

^[11] Leah Dolan, Decoding the Queen’s colorful style, 11th June 2021 https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/the-queens-fashion-and-colorful-style/index.html

^[12] Ibid

^[13] Mary Hanbury, Ivanka Trump’s fashion company is shutting down. Here’s the full story of the first daughter’s business from its founding to the end, 25 July 2018 4:19 IST https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/ivanka-trumps-fashion-company-is-shutting-down-heres-the-full-story-of-the-first-daughters-business-from-its-founding-to-the-end-/articleshow/65126177.cms

^[14] Talia Smith, 18 Moments When Fashion and Politics Merged in the Last Decade 19 December 2019 https://www.teenvogue.com/story/18-moments-when-fashion-and-politics-merged-in-the-last-decade

^[15] Ibid                                   

Note: The views expressed in the article are of the author.