Sophie Theallet may not be here for the Donald Trump administration, but that doesn’t mean the whole fashion world feels the same. While the designer openly stated that she won’t be dressing future first lady Melania Trump — and encouraged other designers to do the same — Tommy Hilfiger has another approach: Don’t “become political about it.”
“I think Melania is a very beautiful woman, and I think any designer should be proud to dress her,” Hilfiger, 65, told WWD at the annual Angel Ball in NYC Monday, November 21. “Ivanka [Trump] is equally as beautiful and smart, although she wears her own clothes. I don’t think people should become political about it.”
The NYC-based designer also noted, “Everyone was very happy to dress Michelle [Obama] as well. I think they look great in the clothes. You’re not gonna get much more beautiful than Ivanka or Melania.”
Hilfiger’s words came less than a week after Theallet, who was born in France but is now based in Brooklyn, shared an open letter via Twitter, bashing the Trump family’s values. “As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom and respect for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next first lady,” she wrote. “The rhetoric of racism, sexism and xenophobia unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by.”
She added, “I am well aware it is not wise to get involved in politics. That said, as a family-owned company, our bottom line is not just about money. We value our artistic freedom and always humbly seek to contribute to a more humane, conscious and ethical way to create in this world.”
