Task 5/6

I have chosen Prabal Gurung as the designer who inspires me and his collection of t-shirts in his Fall 2017 runway show which were inspired by the feminist movement. In the finale of Gurung’s show, the models walked the runway in a series of t-shirts which displayed his own feminist statements. This inspires me as I believe he made a bold statement to a current issue and used his voice through his platform and runway show during NYFW. His t-shirts consisted of statements such as ‘The Future Is Female’ and ‘Nevertheless, she persisted’ along with making references to powerful female figures such as Michelle Obama and Coretta Scott King.

I created a moodboard based on what Prabal Gurung took inspiration from, which I learnt from the interviews he gave based on this collection.

Gloria Steinem for author Jennifer Baumgardner’s book ‘Abortion and Life’, (2008). Photographer: Tara Todras- Whitehill. T-shirt designed by Jennifer Baumgardner.

The picture that takes my attention is this image of Gloria Steinem, a Spokeswomen for the feminist movement in America between the years of 1960’s to the 1970’s. This photo was taken for the author Jennifer Baumgardner who was writing a book based on the topic of abortion in 2008. Steinem supported this book and the project ‘I had an abortion’ which was aimed at giving women back the power to make decisions for themselves and have control back over their own bodies.

I believe the composition of the image is effectively simple. As a result, the photograph emphasizes the words on the t-shirt and the message that Baumgardner is putting across stands out. The monotone colours of the image further create a sense of simplicity. Furthermore, I believe Steinem’s facial expression, a smile, is effective to the photograph as it conveys a confidence and that she is not afraid to show her support for the feminist movement of pro-abortion.

I believe this image and the collection of feminist t-shirts by Prabal Gurung is relevant today as a result of the anti-feminist attitude of Donald Trump. It is apparent that many of the biggest and most relevant fashion houses are using their voices to convey their political views in light of the new President of the United States.

Bibliography:

www.gloriasteinem.com/

wwd.com/eye/…/a-meeting-of-feminists-in-the-prabal-gurung-front-row-10980234

www.jenniferbaumgardner.net/abortion-life/

www.hollywoodreporter.com/…/prabal-gurung-explains-his-nyfw-feminist-finale-975..

www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-week/…/prabal-gurung-fall-2017-finale/

https://graziadaily.co.uk/…/prabal-gurung-new-york-fashion-week-show-feminism/