All the political fashion statements for the upcoming elections

Fashion and politics have always been linked, a mirror and sounding board of society and current events. From the suffragettes who rejected the constriction of Victorian corsets to the women in miniskirts of the Second Feminist Wave, from the civil rights movement with the respectable Sunday Best to the Black Panthers with their leather jackets, caps and sunglasses, from women's tuxedos by Yves Saint Laurent to the revolutionary creations of Vivienne Westwood, through the "We Should All Be Feminist" t-shirt designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior or the "My body, my choice" blazer by Alessandro Michele for Gucci, the two worlds have intertwined very often, trying to manifest an ideal, induce change or, at least, shake consciences. In recent years, their relationship has become increasingly symbiotic, finding space on the runway and on social media thanks to the rise of a new generation that demands more from brands and designers than just cute clothes to show off on Instagram. Gen Z wants clothes that are sustainable, inclusive and, yes, even cool, that become a kind of manifesto of who we are and the changes we would like to see. It forces fashion to take sides, to take concrete action to achieve real results, and to avoid falling into merely performative activism. Thus explicit statements, spread via social, on issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, inclusivity, Black lives matter, climate change, female empowerment, no to war, are multiplying. In recent weeks in Italy to catalyze everyone's attention, including the fashion world, are the September 25 elections. 

"Go out and vote, this election is so important for Our Country! On September 25, vote to protect vested rights, thinking about progress and with an eye to the future. Never look back." In a post shared on her Instagram profile, Donatella Versace urges everyone to go out and vote because it is the only way to safeguard rights already acquired and fight for new ones. An X placed on the symbol of one party or another can change everything, handing Italy over to a ruling group that can take it back to an obscurantist Middle Ages or keep it anchored in the present, trying to improve the situation of citizens. Chiara Ferragni reiterates loud and clear that so many rights we enjoy today are not a gift, but an achievement and, as such "can be questioned, threatened, reduced, cancelled at any time." One of the few tools we have to protect them, to create new ones, to extend them to those who are denied them today, and to decide whether our country should move forward or backward decades is to go to the polls on Sunday, Sept. 25. "The right of women to abortion, the right of LGBT people not to be beaten, insulted, discriminated against because of their sexual orientation, the right of young people to have a future, the right of those who are suffering to decide their own lives, the right of a child to feel part of this country even if he or she is the child of foreigners, are reasons why it is worth voting. Even if we do not feel perfectly represented, even if we are disappointed, it is up to us to choose whether to protect and extend those rights, or to abandon them in the hands of those who want to hinder them." Chiara's thoughts are also shared by designers Andrea Adamo and Marco Rambaldi. The former recalls how democracy is the result of "the great battles of our forefathers, who fought for justice and social equality," and it is up to each of us to honor the efforts of those who came before us by choosing through voting who stands at our head and has the power to decide the direction of our tomorrow. For Rambaldi, abstention, despite disappointment with the current political class, is not an option. It would be tantamount to "not worrying about the future we will soon find ourselves living." Therefore, "it doesn't matter that there is no actual party of reference, we need to make a collective effort." The call is addressed especially to the new generations who "must not alienate themselves from politics," like the one posted on Instagram by Pierpaolo Piccioli. Valentino's creative director indulges in a long outburst: "I am worried and also pissed off because I am forced to argue what seemed obvious to me, in a few days we risk smashing Io fragile and human space in which we are trying to live. [...] To think that there are people, human beings who at this moment may fear, be afraid, of the consequences of this election goes to my head. To think that there are politicians who are using the social issue to make politics when politics, real politics, should only be able to protect the social debate, forces me not to be silent about my concerns." Finally, amidst many likes from followers and colleagues such as Silvia Venturini Fendi, Massimo Giorgetti, and Walter Chiapponi, Piccioli urges everyone "18 and older" to go out and vote on Sept. 25 because "we must not back off an inch on acquired rights, but above all, the time is ripe to acquire new and fundamental ones."