With the nation in political upheaval and emotions running high, it was rather inevitable that the current state of our country’s affairs would be addressed during New York Fashion Week, and who better to take a political message to the streets than heavily streetwear-inspired label Public School?
Creative directors Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne used their return to the runway this past week to debut a collection that didn’t just demonstrate their aesthetic views, but also their political ones in the form of a rather creative twist on President Trump’s famous “Make America Great Again” tagline.
With a modern take on Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” playing in the background, models took to the runway wearing the easily recognizable red Trump hats with a line that read “Make America New York” instead, a clear reference to the immigration melting pot that makes the greatest city on earth just that—great! There were even red sweatshirts with the line along with hoodies that had the words “We Need New Leaders” sprawled on their backs. But perhaps our favorite political, eh, commentary, if you will, was one of the most subtle of all—the number “44 ½” written on the side of those faux Trump hats, a rather hilarious (yet scary) nod to Donald J. Trump’s presidency.
As for the actual looks and styles themselves, both the women’s and men’s collections featured Public School’s now familiar take on modern tailored streetwear, with the current trend of roomier, more generously proportioned pieces apparent throughout. There were oversized coats, pants, and yes, even shorts to help take us into the Spring season—something we hope our newly elected leader can manage to do without blowing up the country first. Wishful thinking, to be sure, but hey, we try to stay positive. Besides, if the country’s gonna go to shits, at least Public School is going to make sure we look good doing it. Well, some of us, at least. Sorry, Donald.
You can view the rest of Public School’s entire Fall 2017 collection on their website at publicschoolnyc.com/pages/fw2017.
