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Make America New York: Anti-Trump Message At Public School Fashion Week

By Bernadette Giacomazzo
Published on: 09:50 PST, Feb 12, 2017

For the first time in history, Public School Fashion Week — held during the time of New York Fashion Week, every year — makes the headlines with a very clear anti-Trump message: Make America New York.

According to Harper’s Bazaar, the clothes with the message “Make America New York” was so popular that it quickly became a trending topic on Twitter.

The idea was conceived by Dao-Yi Chao and Maxwell Osborne, who repurposed Trump’s infamous campaign slogan into “Make America New York,” which was then emblazoned across a series of red shirts and hats. As the student models walked down the runway to a souped-up version of “This Land is Your Land,” they wore clothes emblazoned with other slogans that challenged the principles of the Trump presidency, including “We Need Leaders” and, most hilariously, “44 1/2,” a nod to the accusations that Trump’s presidency is an illegitimate and compromised one.

It was only a matter of time, then, before the Trump supporters came running into the trending topic to excoriate Public School Fashion Week and the slogan, “Make America New York.”

According to Footwear News, seeing the “Make America New York” slogan alongside such other politically charged caused many Trump supporters to explode with rage in the trending topic, while blasting New York City.

Others, however, were much more supportive of both New York City and the message of the fashion show.

“Combined with the brand’s ‘We Need Leaders’ sweaters, which has become one of its signature branding motifs, the coed show offered a politically-charged message. But what was that message, exactly? It seemed to embrace New York’s diverse population and energy, an idea of unity and love for all. And boy were there looks to love.”

So why did the creators of the show choose the slogan “Make America New York”?

WWD Magazine sat down with Dao-Yi Chao and Maxwell Osborne, the two creators of the Public School Fashion Week theme, “Make America New York.” The duo, who are best known for their work with fashion powerhouse DKNY, returned back to the Public School Fashion Week show after taking off from duties last year.

They said, specifically, that their goal was to stick with a streetwear look, since the look of the street has been tied to the look of luxury for some time now.

“Five years ago this conversation, you’d hear, ‘streetwear is dead as a business.’ That pendulum is sort of swinging back and forth. I think it’s more of a global phenomena, rather than just fashion, that the obsession is with real life and that’s sort of what streetwear represents: what are real people doing? So I think it’s great, like, from a diversity standpoint. Just a change in points of view, the more exposure you have to an industry like fashion that has always been so highly guarded and curated and protected that the more exposure to other points of view and ways of life can normally be a great thing for fashion.”

Do you agree with the idea that “Make America New York” is what real people are doing and feeling, as the interview indicates? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images]

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