Has Fashion Become The New Battleground For Politicians?

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 four-day 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 dress-down 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.

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More than Words

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.

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

In 2018, Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi had a fashion moment of her own. She wore a fiery red coat by Max Mara after a heated televised conversation with President Donald Trump, which was seen as an emblem of defiance. The coat caught on like wildfire, igniting much interest in it as a symbol of strength that the Italian House reissued the coat the year after. Who would’ve thought that politicians could also become mannequins for brands?

Back home, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong was hailed a fashion icon by netizens, as people noted how he often wore pink shirts. Pink has been known to symbolise compassion, nurturing qualities and joy—all good and assuring traits to promulgate to Singaporeans.

When Fashion Begins to Falter

Yet conversely, we’ve also seen some cautionary examples of politicians attempting to dip their toes into the idea of being fashionable, and finding their efforts backfiring.

At one point, ex-presidential candidate Hilary Clinton was chastised for wearing a US$13,000 jacket amidst ballooning costs of living, while UK’s ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak—in his trendy shrunken suits and $200 designer sliders—was criticised for “conveying the wrong message because it came across not as youthful, but rather as a sign of inexperienced hubris,” notes Jonathan Walford, who curates the Fashion History Museum in Canada.

In many ways, it beckons the question: should politicians be fashionable?

“Things take on different meanings throughout time. The way that we have perceived politics has changed over the decades, and because of that, we now hold politicians to different standards. In the past, we looked to politicians as leaders and that meant that it was good for them to be seen in well-tailored clothing with gravitas. Today, we want politicians to show that they understand the common man’s and woman’s needs. The same suit that we’ve once thought of as a symbol of power, can now be seen as a sign of being tone-deaf in today’s climate,” Ginette Chittick tells us. Chittick, who is the programme leader for the Diploma in Creative Direction for Fashion at LASALLE, University of the Arts Singapore, is also a researcher and historian of fashion and subcultures.

Echoing Chittick, Walford highlights that this is also why “First Lady Jackie Kennedy was noted for her style, even though she wore American replicas of French couture at times, because as an American First Lady, her wardrobe was political and had to represent her people.”

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One with the People

Perhaps, that also offers some kind of explanation for Walz’s appeal.

Walz’s folksy draw comes at a critical point in the wider cultural zeitgeist, as many facets of popular culture have returned to celebrating the joys of all things Americana.

Singers Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé have all embraced the midwestern energy, be it through their branding or taking cues from country music to create mainstream bangers. Fashion designers like Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and A$AP Rocky’s AWGE cranked up the American energy in their latest collections, while this summer’s juggernaut film Twisters put Glen Powell and his Stetson hat into our purview.

Just like that, embracing the normalcy and quotidian qualities of getting dressed for utility over vanity feels fresh and relatable.

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For Walz and his regular Joe attire, this intersection between his choice of wardrobe and what’s happening at large couldn’t be more timely. If anything, he’s the antithesis of dressing to be politically correct. And it’s working.

“Impressions matter far more than people think they do, and in this same way, choosing the right kind of personal styling to tell your constituents about who you are and what you stand for can be incredibly useful on the campaign trail,” Chittick says. “Sometimes, the way that you dress tells voters so much more than your words. It’s not just your name that’s on the ballot, but it’s also everything you stand for and that includes your clothing choices.”