Vice President Kamala Harris takes to the stage at the 30th World Black Economic Forum. [+] The annual Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 6, 2024. (Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
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Delia Ephron, sister and collaborator of the late Nora Ephron, has written about “the relationship between what women have to wear, what they want to wear, what they don’t want to wear, (and) what they need to wear as they exercise their femininity in the workplace and at home. A 2022 study found that we consciously or unconsciously send signals to others by what we put on our bodies.
Our style reflects our values, personality, identity and priorities, all of which change over time: As we gain experience, authority, influence and responsibility, so do our clothing choices.
The ultimate attainment of authority, influence and responsibility is to become President of the United States (POTUS), so in this moment when we may have the first female president (again), it’s worth considering the possibility that this female presidential candidate might dress in a way that reflects her values.
Screenshot – Kamala Harris at campaign headquarters – July 21, 2024, Erin Schaff/Press Office
Screenshot – Erin Shaff/Presspool
Democratic front-runner Vice President Kamala Harris’ fashion choices so far have clearly shown that she doesn’t want to be the center of attention for her outfits, perhaps learning from the unfair and often inappropriate scrutiny that past female leaders have received over their attire.
Currently, VP Harris’s style is monochrome, conservative, and elegantly understated. She appears to wear pantsuits almost exclusively, except for formal events, when she wears a gown or cocktail dress. Her footwear is similarly understated, ranging from the Converse Chuck Taylors that became a meme during the 2020 campaign to pumps with just the right amount of heel that go well with suits. She looks comfortable and classy, moving effortlessly from dancing with a group of little girls (in jeans and a blazer) to striding onto a prominent stage to deliver an important speech.
Sustainable Values
“The climate crisis is one of the most urgent issues of our time,” Vice President Harris declared in a July 2023 speech in Baltimore, Maryland.
“Every day, across our country, we feel and see the impacts of the climate crisis,” she continued. “Across our country, we’ve seen communities choked by drought, swept away by floods and devastated by hurricanes. Here in Baltimore, we’ve watched the skies darken with smoke from wildfires. And we’ve seen the waters of the Chesapeake Bay rise, threatening homes and businesses that have lasted for generations. It’s clear that the clock is not only ticking, it’s ringing. And we must act.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a community climate action briefing: [+] Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan (right) at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, July 14, 2023. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP)
AFP via Getty Images
She also cast a runoff vote to pass President Biden’s Stop Inflation Act, the most historic climate change bill in U.S. history, through Congress, and has been a longtime advocate for climate and environmental action. As reported by The Washington Post, she “created the Office of Environmental Justice while district attorney in San Francisco, prioritized electric school buses, opposed drilling on public lands and championed California’s move to mandate low-emission vehicles. As a senator, she was an original proponent of the Green New Deal.”
She is considered a possible Democratic candidate for president in 2024 and has been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club and the political arm of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The fashion industry is doing terrible for the climate
Screenshot – UNEP on Sustainable Fashion
United Nations Environment Programme
The statistics on the fashion industry’s climate impact are hard to swallow. Here are some stats from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
: Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck’s worth of clothing is incinerated or landfilled.
The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon dioxide emissions – more than international air and maritime shipping combined.
The fashion industry uses approximately 93 billion cubic metres of water each year, contributing significantly to water scarcity in some parts of the world.
: Washing clothes alone releases 500,000 tonnes of microfibers into the ocean every year. Microfibers pollute our water and marine life.
Kelly Bannigan speaks at the UN SDG Media Summit, 9 September 2022 – Photo by Joan Michelson (Frame Capture…) [+] (From Michaelson’s video)
Joan Michelson
Kelly Banigan, a veteran sustainable fashion advocate, managing director of the PVBLIC Foundation and co-founder of the UN Fashion Lifestyle Network and the Fashion Impact Fund, told the Electric Ladies podcast that women working in sweatshops in the apparel industry in many developing countries – who are almost all women – also aren’t paid the minimum living wage.
Will a “President Kamala Harris” embrace sustainable values?
Kamala Harris, who could become the first female president of the United States, has a great opportunity to pressure the fashion industry to do more to reduce its environmental impact – for example, by promising to wear sustainably made clothes.
If so, she has plenty of options and I’m sure designers will try their hand at sustainable design for her, just as they do for other celebrities. For example, Quora reports that Emma Watson “picked an Emilia Wickstead outfit made from recycled yarn to meet Al Gore and wore a repurposed Harris Reid dress to the Earthshot Prize ceremony.” She also wore “a full look from Scandinavian upcycling brand Rave Review” to the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Sumissura reports on “23 sustainable clothing brands leading the way.”
Cate Blanchett attends the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony in recognition of her contributions to… [+] Environmental protection activities in Singapore on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
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Cate Blanchett wore a Stella McCartney pantsuit made from 95% recycled materials to the 2023 Earthshot Prize ceremony in Singapore. British Vogue reports that celebrities are “increasingly interested” in sustainable fashion, wearing eco-conscious brands and vintage clothing. They are also increasingly posting photos on social media of themselves wearing dresses or outfits that were once considered fashion faux pas.
Expressing femininity, power and worth
It will be interesting to see how this major shift in Kamala Harris’ identity, influence, and authority will lead to her style evolving if she wins the 2024 presidential election and indeed becomes president of the United States.
It will be interesting to see how her values, which include an urgent call for climate action, are reflected in her clothing choices.
She could underscore the urgency by prioritizing sustainable pantsuits and gowns in the presidential closet.
