New York Fashion Week opens with call to vote from Jill Biden

First Lady Jill Biden called for the protection of "freedoms" Friday during a "get out the vote" demonstration that opened New York Fashion Week with a decidedly political tone two months ahead of the US presidential election.

Biden was joined by a number of high-profile US fashion designers, including Thom Browne, Michael Kors and Tory Burch, in front of a crowd of roughly one thousand industry insiders.

The "Fashion for our Future" march was organized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) for the first day of the weeklong event showcasing looks for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2025 season.

Held in front of the windows of the flagship Macy's department store in the heart of Manhattan, the march was intended to be nonpartisan.

However, several of the participating designers have created accessories for the campaign of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.  And the presence of the Democratic first lady -- whose appearance had not been announced -- sent a clear message.

- 'Freedoms' -

"I know that you care about the freedom to make your own choices, be who you are, love who you love... your freedom of creative expression," Biden said to applause from the crowd.

"These freedoms are at risk because of court decisions, book bans, shrugs of apathy when people forget the power of the vote," she said.

The US presidential election, set for November 5, pits Vice President Harris against Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Jill Biden's husband, US President Joe Biden, had been set to be the Democratic nominee until he dropped out of the race on July 21 and threw his support behind his vice president.

"So let's remember this: the next president, your next president, will likely appoint new Supreme Court justices," the first lady said.

"Your next senators will confirm them and our children and our grandchildren will have to live with those consequences."

Prior to the march, Jill Biden attended the Ralph Lauren fashion show on Thursday evening and paid tribute to Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine and high priestess of the US fashion industry.

Wintour featured Jill Biden on the cover of the magazine's August issue and has organized several fundraisers for the Democratic Party.

- Democratic 'bubble' -

While marketing themselves on open-mindedness, major brands typically stay away from political squabbles in the United States, out of fear of being targeted by one camp or the other.

But one notable counterexample was in February 2017, shortly after former president Trump was elected. That year, New York Fashion week took a much more pointed tone against the Republican billionaire, with several shows decrying his immigration policies and defending abortion and women's healthcare.

"We are in the bubble of the bubble of the bubble," joked Ulrich Grimm, an accessories designer and professor at the renowned Parsons School of Design, who was among the demonstrators Friday.

"We're in New York," he continued, referencing the city's status as a Democratic stronghold, "and we're in fashion."

Beside him, designer Joy Gryson said she was worried about the freedom of "any woman, person of color, LGBTQ (people)."

- Clothes 'everyone will want' -

In a show full of activist symbols, designer Willy Chavarria brought his Chicano-inspired models to the former headquarters of JP Morgan bank on Wall Street.

Loose-fitting shirts with puffed sleeves tucked into chino pants, Chavarria's outfits winked to workwear -- including bandanas and trucker hats -- and were mixed with streetwear styles in a dialogue between Mexican and American cultures.

"I really do want to offer collections that everyone can relate to and everyone can enjoy, and, you know, everyone will want," Chavarria said.

His show ended with a collaboration with sports brand Adidas that paid homage to basketball legend and civil rights activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- one of Chavarria's childhood idols -- with a big "33" emblazoned on jerseys.