War on Gaza: Paris Fashion Week designers say industry scared of speaking out
Entertainment
They call for ceasefire and an end to the occupation of Palestine
(Web Desk) - The Berlin-based founders of fashion label GmbH, who on Sunday gave a speech in solidarity with Palestine during their show at Paris Fashion Week, have told Middle East Eye that colleagues in the industry are scared to speak out about Israel's war on Gaza.
“Yes, it has been a deafening silence,” Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik said, when asked about the fashion industry's response to the war on Gaza, where over 25,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed.
“We know we have many allies behind the scenes, but everyone is scared. Scared of losing their business and livelihood. We understand that fear, but we have no option but to resist,” the designers told MEE via email.
During the final show of Paris men’s fashion week on Sunday, Huseby and Isik opened their autumn/winter presentation with a speech calling for a ceasefire.
“We have called for a ceasefire, a release of all hostages, a free Palestine and an end to the occupation, all demands we think should be uncontroversial,” the Berlin-based duo said in the French capital.
“As fashion designers, we are normally left to express our thoughts through clothing and leave the rest to the imagination. But we live in dangerous times, where the precision of words is needed,” Isik told the show.
At one point during the 10-minute speech, Huseby broke down, while some audience members were also left in tears.
"As the far right - and actual Nazis and fascists are once again gaining power across Europe, and many other parts of the world, antisemitism and Islamophobia is rising too," Huseby said.
"How convenient, then, to distract us to make us believe there is really a struggle between two already marginalised people, when in fact the struggle is rather between power and justice; exclusionary nationalism and true universal humanity; oppression and freedom."
