Katharine Hamnett: Using Fashion To Campaign For Change

Fashion and Politics have one thing in common and that’s inspiring to create change, one of the main issues being the environmental impact of the fashion industry. Beneath the glamorous of facade of the fashion industry is a dark side.

These concerns are being brought to the attention of the world through designers taking political stances at their fashion shows. One designer in particular who is at the forefront of this revolution is Katharine Hamnett, a designer since the early nineteen seventies, she is a passionate advocate of humanitarian and environmental issues.

Apart from giving me my first insight into the industry, Katharine Hamnett gave Photographer Juergen Teller his first job and Kate Moss her commercial break into the modelling industry including veterans Naomi Campbell, Angela Lindvall and Mila Jojovich have all graced the editorial campaigns and catwalk for the iconic British Designer.

Famously In 2004 Hamnett staged a catwalk show in reference to the looming invasion of Iraq. Models appeared during the fashion show wearing slogans ‘STOP WAR, BLAIR OUT’.

Since 1989 Hamnett continues lobbying for impacting ethical changes in the way the fashion industry operates. This includes terminating her licensing agreements due to existence of sweatshops and the contamination of cotton growing regions from pesticide positioning. To this day she promotes her ethical business philosophy of manufacturing and agricultural practices governed by strict ethical guidelines.

Even Kanye West has asked Hamnett for access to her archives, when researching and developing his new collection.

Hamnet is still causing some political discourse with her designs as she has recently collaborated with menswear label YMC: You Must Create for a capsule collection to revive some of her celebrated works from the archive such as her infamous signature political statement slogan T-shirts.

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