Kamala Harris’ Fashion Symbolism
By: Jenny Walker
Who says fashion can’t be political? Leading up to the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first female, first African American and first Asian American vice president wanted to express her feelings about the future of the U.S., as well as what she will do for American citizens in a subtle yet powerful way.
Why do Kamala Harris’s fashion choices matter? Looking back on the history of fashion and why people wear the certain clothes they wear is an underscoring way people express themselves to those around them. Fashion is something people use to make others see themselves and who they uniquely are. It’s a robust tool to make a statement without even speaking. More often than not females are being asked who they are wearing and not what work they are doing.
After decades of observing first ladies choosing similar designers, Harris sparked national attention with her purple dress coat and matching A-line dress accompanied by her signature pearls, with the color purple signifying unity. The pearls were a possible ode to her sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black Greek-letter sorority. The founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha are referred to as the “Twenty Pearls,” and there is no doubt that Harris will be bringing these meaningful pearls with her in the next four years to come.
The outfit was also designed by young Black designers, Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson. Rogers was the winner of the 2020 Council of Fashion Designers American Emerging Designer of the Year, overcoming critics who claimed his fashion was too bold and colorful.
Rogers said, “I don’t think that the way that you dress should make you sacrifice your personality or your point of view, or necessarily say anything about your intelligence.”
Rogers drew much of his inspiration from his upbringing in the Southern Baptist church that he attended when he grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His fashion lines since 2016 have been committed to diversity and inclusivity, with many of his runway shows showcasing models of all different races and sizes. The young designers thanked Harris for letting their pieces be an integral part of history, promoting her symbolism in office, not only through a political lens, but cultural one too.
Up until the day of the Inauguration, Harris was wearing significant pieces to every event she went to, showcasing the talent and pristine pieces of Black designers everywhere. On the evening before Inauguration Day, Harris wore a long camel coat by Black designer Kerby Jean-Raymond.
In March 2020, when the stay-at-home orders were set in place in New York City, Jean-Rayonds label, Pyer Moss, was one of the first fashion houses to shut down production and transition their studio into a donation center for PPE. On top of this, Pyer Moss also donated over $50,000 to minority and women owned small businesses struggling during the pandemic.
Jean-Raymond is a Haitian-American and one of the most successful Black fashion symbols in this new era. This is mainly due to the fact that Jean-Raymond elevates other Black voices, stories and culture through his own success, especially with his buzz-worthy New York Fashion Week shows.
On the evening of Inauguration Day, Harris was seen in a bright sequin cocktail dress paired with a black silk tuxedo coat all designed by Sergio Hudson. Hudson described his inspiration for the pieces by the fact that he, along with most of America, wanted to be uplifted right now and so he opted for the sparkling sequin displayed on Harris’ dress.
Beginning his business in 2005, Hudson is no stranger to creating custom-made pieces for women in the spotlight, with just a few of his past clients being Amal Clooney and Beyoncé. Hudson knows how important this moment was for not only himself, but the thousands of other Black designers out there, understanding how pivotal this moment was for Black designers.
Not only was Hudson’s pieces spotted on Harris, but he also created the all maroon sweater, pants and matching overcoat set for Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day.
“I have African-American daughters, so working on this project meant more to me than I think anything I’ve ever done,” said Hudson, who was both inspired and proud of the work he did for the former first lady and the history-making vice president.
The pieces Harris was wearing from Rogers, Hudson, and Jean-Raymond represent a missing piece of inclusivity that past Inaugurations and Presidents have had with Black designers. Over the last four years, the American people did not see the type of diversity and inclusivity the Biden-Harris administration is committed to achieving in the upcoming four years. It is a, “new era where designers of color get the same opportunities that their white counterparts have had for years.”
Harris’ clothing pieces also catch the eye of the American people as a whole. Take the Converse, for instance, that Harris wore all throughout the campaign trail that had a variety of pins on the shoes with words like, “Vote,” “Equality,” “2020,” “Stop hate,” Black joy,” and many other powerful sayings.
Not only did the Converse display the values Harris has, but the sneakers as a whole implicate that Harris will and can get things done for the U.S. and isn’t afraid to do it herself in a practical way. Harris relates to the American people with a shoe that has been a staple for over a century. At the 2019 San Franciso Gay Pride Festival, Harris wore a bedazzled rainbow jacket, designed by Levi’s, to show her unity for the LGBTQ+ community.
Another significant outfit was Carolina Herrera’s all-white pantsuit Harris wore on Nov. 9 for her victory speech. The all-white pantsuit is to be viewed as a homage for the women’s suffrage movement, the centuries long fight for the equality of women of all colors to vote in the U.S. During the 20th century, women would wear white to the many suffragists’ movements they would be fighting for.
Harris even paid homage to the millions of women who fought for her to be where she is today: the first Black and South Asian women to be elected as Vice President of the U.S.
Harris said, “All the women who worked to secure and protect the right to vote for over a century: 100 years ago with the 19th Amendment, 55 years ago with the Voting Rights Act, and now, in 2020, with a new generation of women in our country who cast their ballots and continued the fight for their fundamental right to vote and be heard.Tonight, I reflect on their struggle, their determination and the strength of their vision—to see what can be unburdened by what has been—I stand on their shoulders.”
“There is certainly a danger in treating Harris as a first lady as opposed to vice president or a female politician because the vice president has a voice and doesn’t have to rely on simply the visual in order to communicate,” as said by Robin Givhan, senior critic at-large at The Washington Post to CNN. To expect that her clothing will be as noticeable as those from former first ladies, will be a disservice to the office she historically represents.
However, Harris certainly knows what she wants to wear to express her own voice through fashion while also elevating Black designers’ voices. For centuries, countless white designers elevated their brands on the national and political stage when designing politicians, and now, finally, Black designers are beginning this new era that will surely strive on for centuries to come.
https://www.oprahmag.com/style/a34438196/kamala-harris-converse-sneakers-shoes/
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/01/10269612/kamala-harris-fashion-pyer-moss-covid-19-meaning
