POLITICALLY CHIC

In a year of major elections happening globally, Aaron Kok investigates the role that fashion plays in the arena of politics, and how it can be the make-or-break tool.

A new fashion icon has emerged from the Presidential elections in the United States, and it’s not who you’d think it might be.

While Kamala Harris capped off a fourday convention by accepting the Democratic nomination as their candidate in the upcoming elections, it was Tim Walz who came through as the new fashion icon of the party.

Specifically, it was his penchant for camouflage-printed caps, hardy boots and fleece jackets that earned him fans. TikTokers call him the candidate with the midwestern dad energy. Fashion critics have hailed his dressdown approach as a win in itself, thanks to the everyman appeal. One viral tweet read “He might run for vice president, or he might clean the garage. It’s the weekend; anything can happen.”

In the theatre of politics today, fashion has become more than a uniform worn to address your constituents. In many ways, they’re a silent tool that when employed effectively, can be as effective as the speeches and the rally banners.

And here’s the other thing: it’s not new either.

Ancient Romans wore togas as a symbol of citizenship and identity. In the days of the French Revolution, the working class wore cargo trousers as a badge of honour for their humble stations. In the ’70s, the black beret was employed in a brilliant stroke of identity marketing by the Black Panther Party. As we transitioned into the era of Reagan-omics in the ’80s, the ‘more is more’ approach to dressing ushered in the golden days of the power suit.

Even in the context of the now, fashion remains political.