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Designer Zac Posen Refuses To Dress Melania And Ivanka Trump And Here’s Why

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 13:06 PST, Mar 13, 2017

Couture designer Zac Posen has dressed Melania and Ivanka Trump in the past, but the 36-year-old says that he won’t be doing it again in the near future. Despite the fact that former First Lady Michelle Obama was frequently spotted sporting Zac Posen designs, he now says that he’s “staying away from bringing my brand into politics.”

As Fox News reports, Posen is just the latest in a whole slew of designers that have flat-out refused to dress Melania Trump and other members of the first family. In addition to Zac Posen, the Trump family has been axed by mega fashion designers Marc Jacobs, Christian Siriano, Joseph Altuzarra, Derek Lam, Humberto Leon, Sophie Theallet, and Tom Ford.

According to Zac Posen, Melania and Ivanka (as well as the rest of the Trump clan) are out of luck if they’re craving Posen designs for their political forays largely due to the POTUS and his position on issues that the designer calls “close to [his] heart.” Some of the issues cited by Zac Posen are issues that have also spawned massive protests, marches and even violence in the wake of Trump’s unexpected November presidential victory. Issues such as immigration, LGBTQ rights, and women’s rights, to name a few.

“There are issues that are being questioned that are fundamentally upsetting to me — deeply: LGBT rights, immigration, funding for the arts, Planned Parenthood and women’s rights. These are just issues that are very close to my heart, and I use my own private voice and funds to fight them and in support of them. I think it’s important to use your voice. I think that every brand and person has a right to be vocal.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooClwKzgyNI

Zac Posen added that his personal money and celebrity voice are frequently used to fight for many of the very same issues that the Trump family to be united in fighting against.

As The Daily Beast reports, Zac Posen was flexing his fashion and political muscle during New York Fashion Week, a time and place laden with anti-Trump sentiment (youngest Trump daughter Tiffany was famously shunned by fashion editors during one show). According to Posen, his decision not to dress Melania and Ivanka Trump is part of “political responsibility.”

“I think everybody has a political responsibility. Everybody has a voice, whether in fashion or any field.”

Posen claims to be “very upset” with the political climate and “state of affairs” facing the United States today. He also admits that while he wants no part of dressing Ivanka and Melania Trump in the future, he can’t dictate or control who goes out and purchases his designs in stores.

And in spite of the fact that he’s admittedly upset, Zac Posen is trying to look on the bright side. While things may be bad (at least in his point of view) right now, Posen says he’s clinging to his optimism and hoping that the current situation will pass.

“I think that freedom will prevail.”

While Zac Posen clearly stated that he has “no current plans to dress members of the first family” (including its powerful women), he warned others in the fashion industry that they should be cautious in their advocacy and of aligning their name, product, and brand with certain issues. For example, feminism.

“You can’t market or commercialize feminism as an entity. One has to be careful.”

Posen went on to say that he loves to have powerful women in his clothing, but that it is also important that he lends his name, voice and support to “the amazing women that I’m able to work with.”

Despite being unwilling to continue to dress the ladies of the first family, Posen has said in the past that he is “very pro-woman.”

While Posen is one of multiple designers who are currently refusing to dress the Trumps, his is not the only political stance in the fashion industry. Unlike Zac Posen, Ralph Lauren has been more than happy to dress Melania and Ivanka Trump, even dressing Melania on Inauguration Day; afterwards, the value of his shares soared.

[Featured Image by Patricia Schlein/STAR MAX/AP Images]

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