Fashion: A Canvas of Changing Times
A Retrospective Look at Fashion's Golden Age
In a recent past, the world of fashion radiated creativity, acceptance, and increasing financial prosperity. It embodied what many aspired for, even if not without flaws. Yet, it consistently aimed to surpass its former self, making considerable progress in celebrating diverse body types across runways, advertisements, and magazines. Industry leaders made deliberate efforts to welcome historically marginalized voices, fostering diversity, equality, and inclusion as vital elements of cultural discourse. Gender fluidity was celebrated, expanding into a vast, vibrant spectrum. The ascent of Virgil Abloh, from 2013 until his untimely passing in 2021 at 41, served as a testament to fashion's potential when it broadened its perspectives, bringing forth a wealth of untapped talent.
Virgil Abloh's Enduring Legacy and Optimistic Vision
For the past two years, considerable effort has been dedicated to comprehending the fashion universe shaped by Virgil Abloh, the pioneering Black artistic director for Louis Vuitton menswear and the visionary behind Off-White. Abloh shattered conventions, leaving an indelible mark while empowering countless individuals, particularly those from marginalized communities who admired high fashion, to feel like valued members of an exclusive domain. He possessed an uncanny ability to render the inaccessible accessible. His brief yet impactful career became the focal point of a biographical and cultural historical study, exploring the transformative shifts within the fashion landscape that enabled his success despite lacking traditional design credentials or privileged background.
The Foundations of Abloh's Success and His Philosophy of Kindness
Abloh's success stemmed from multiple factors, foremost among them his inherent talent. Other significant contributors included the burgeoning importance of menswear, sneakers, social media, and the increasing prominence of Black men within the fashion ecosystem. However, a crucial element was his unwavering optimism. He once articulated, "A part of how I reached my current position is through my steadfastness. I am also an optimist. I genuinely believe the world can improve. I formally affirm this belief."
Optimism as a Core Principle: Beyond Design to Engagement
Abloh recognized that optimism was not only integral to his clothing creations—some exceptional, many adequate, and a few less so—but, more profoundly, it was fundamental to his interaction with customers. His success implied theirs was also attainable. While he cherished his achievements, he reveled in the triumphs of others with undeniable enthusiasm. His Instagram served as a communal space for creative exchange and the exploration of possibilities. Abloh's defining characteristic, often reiterated by those who knew him, was his kindness, which became his ultimate currency and a cornerstone of his accomplishments.
The Fading Art of Kindness in Modern Society and Fashion
Fraser Cooke, who collaborated with Abloh on a Nike sneaker project, noted, "I'm not asserting that Abloh prospered solely due to his kindness. He genuinely appeared open and equitable with everyone." Cooke further reflected, "I believe this quality endeared him to people and motivated them to engage with him. Regrettably, such individuals are rare, rendering his approach truly exceptional." Indeed, kindness is scarcer than it ought to be in fashion, and currently, it's in short supply across the nation. As a presidential administration openly embraces a culture of harshness, and the modern tech industry, once guided by the principle "Don't be evil," now appears content with disruption, the aesthetic landscape has also shifted. This move gravitates towards traditional gender roles and the hostile misogyny of the "manosphere." Wealth has transcended a mere means of security or a source of enjoyable acquisitions, becoming a metric of human worth.
The Aesthetic of Harshness: Power and Display in Contemporary Fashion
Harshness has evolved from an undesirable consequence of pursuing wealth into the very essence of the endeavor itself. Numerous images encapsulate the current political, social, and aesthetic climate, with one of the most striking depicting Kristi Noem and a golden timepiece. As the Secretary of Homeland Security, Noem's agency is tasked with the Trump administration's objective of deporting approximately 3,000 undocumented immigrants daily. Achieving this quota has involved federal agents apprehending individuals in various public spaces. Housing these detainees has presented challenges. Prior to the administration's contentious "Alligator Alcatraz"—a precarious detention facility in the Florida Everglades—public attention was drawn to the government's decision to send detainees to a vast prison warehouse in El Salvador, notoriously known as the Terrorism Confinement Center.
The Disparity of Appearance: A Critique of Power and Privilege
During her tour of the Latin American facility, Noem addressed the media on crime, deportation, and immigration, dressed in a long-sleeved white T-shirt, gray drawstring trousers, a Homeland Security baseball cap—and an 18-karat-gold watch valued at approximately $50,000. The watch might have gone unnoticed, had Noem not recorded a video in front of a cellblock where prisoners were stacked like logs. As she warned migrants contemplating entering the United States about the potential fate awaiting them in the Salvadoran prison, her gold watch gleamed under the light. Her brown hair cascaded in perfect curls, and her makeup was impeccably camera-ready, almost glamorous. There was a subtle cruelty in Noem's display of traditional femininity and overt wealth. Every aspect of her appearance conveyed a message of not only greater privilege but also superior humanity compared to the imprisoned men. She embodied an idealized mid-20th-century American image. In contrast, the prisoners, many shirtless or in dehumanizing white uniforms, had their heads shaved, their individuality and autonomy stripped away.
Fashion's Shifting Narrative: From Extravagance to Exclusion
Over the years, numerous fashion trends have endowed wearers with a cold, almost detached elegance. Fashion has cycled through various buttoned-up, structured styles designed to project wealth, status, and allure, often creating an icy facade. Reflecting on the "Masters of the Universe" era, characterized by socialites and Wall Street moguls, the clothing—power ties, Armani suits, and Christian Lacroix poufs—signified extravagance and power, yet also possessed a certain rakishness and humor. They celebrated personal achievement. Now, attire often seems to celebrate others' failures or their inability to conform to antiquated standards of femininity, masculinity, or patriotism. The tech magnates of the past reveled in their ability to navigate halls of power in casual wear, their hoodies and baggy jeans suggesting an idealism about power—that it shouldn't be inherited, bound by tradition, or rigid, but rather agile, connecting people across divides. However, many current tech leaders have donned the mantle of "MAGA meanness," a style whose malevolence is almost caricatured.
The Evolution of Public Figures: From Idealists to Aggressors
At the peak of his government program cuts, Elon Musk brandished a chainsaw like a trophy at a conservative activists' conference, sporting a "Dark MAGA" baseball cap. Mark Zuckerberg, whose platform has blurred the lines between fact and disinformation, has transformed his image. No longer appearing as an idealistic adolescent with a crew cut and hoodie, he now sports longer hair, a gold medallion engraved with a Jewish prayer, and occasionally a gold chain, a gift from rapper T-Pain. This combination creates the impression of a cyber tough guy, far removed from a father preparing for a lullaby. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has similarly evolved from a studious entrepreneur into a sunglass-clad, muscular billionaire. He implies that environmental protections, social welfare, and democratic principles hinder financial growth in the world's wealthiest nation.
Fashion's True Calling: Authenticity and Optimism
Mean-spiritedness is now fashionable, and cruelty has become an aesthetic flourish. Many cultural references revolve around rigid gender archetypes: women with flowing hair, form-fitting dresses, heels, jewelry, furs, and tight attire; men in power suits, pomaded hair, symbolizing strength, red ties—lots of red ties. However, fashion truly fulfills its purpose when it encourages authentic self-expression rather than conformity to prescribed versions. Fashion excels when it defies pessimism, embraces optimism, and draws inspiration from outsiders—the eccentric and whimsical—not solely the privileged.
The Future of Fashion: Embracing Kindness and Innovation
The most memorable recent collections are those designed to captivate audiences with their uniqueness and youthful vitality. Others address contemporary challenges seriously while maintaining a resolute belief that progress is forged through determination and kindness. Jonathan Anderson's debut Dior collection for Spring 2026 menswear exemplified this, balancing respect for heritage with playfulness, incorporating pastel hues into Dior gray, eschewing gender norms, and infusing elegance with ease. It was a collection that invited closer inspection. Willy Chavarria's stunning Spring 2026 collection, also shown in Paris, boldly confronted the Trump administration's anti-immigrant policies. Against a backdrop of "California Dreamin'" in English and Spanish, Black and brown models in oversized white T-shirts walked the runway, kneeling in formation like deportees. Yet, the collection, titled "Huron" after Chavarria's California hometown, also featured elegant, confident men and women in shades of sunshine yellow, persimmon, and teal. It celebrated the confidence, vibrancy, and optimism inherent in recent immigrant heritage. Fashion is most extraordinary when it amplifies the quiet inner voice that whispers of dreams becoming reality.
A Legacy of Community and Hope
Abloh understood this truth intimately. For a long time, he observed a glamorous, cool, sophisticated world from the outside. His love for fashion wasn't rooted in a desire for superiority but in the sense of belonging it offered—a community founded on optimism. This ethos benefits not only fashion but also the human spirit.