Will the Fashion Industry Boycott the Trumps?

Despite an effort to boycott Ivanka Trump’s clothing and accessory line, Donald Trump still won the electoral college vote for president of the United States. A gay men’s magazine seemed undeterred by that as Gayletter, a Web and print publication, suggested recently that it would boycott any fashion designers who work with Melania Trump.

On the Gayletter Facebook page this weekend, a message was posted stating:

“Let’s just make this very clear. If you’re a fashion designer and you dress Melania Trump we will take that as an admission of support for her husband and his hateful campaign promises. And we will boycott you.”

Yahoo Style and Beauty reached out to Gayletter for comment. This article will be updated if and when comments are received.

While there appear to be no organized efforts yet to fulfill such a boycott in the fashion world, there have been plenty of other boycott campaigns as the election cycle progressed — on both sides of the political spectrum. Products and brands like Yuengling beer, People magazine, Trump’s long list of properties and companies, and the aforementioned Ivanka Trump products have all been on the receiving end of boycott efforts due to their support of Trump’s campaign and presidency, whether implied or explicit.

On the other hand, Pepsi recently came under fire in conservative circles for comments CEO Indra Nooyi made following the elections. GrubHub is another company feeling the same type of pressure.

And Trump himself once urged people to boycott Apple products.

Regardless of whether or not the Gayletter call for boycott will pick up steam, it opens a question of how the fashion industry will navigate the next four years.

Though Donald Trump’s views on gay rights are difficult to pin down, his vice president-elect, Mike Pence, has been seen as unsympathetic, and the Republican Party has made no secret of its position on such issues as same-sex marriage, all of which appears to be concerning the gay and transgender community, many of whom work in and support the fashion industry.

Would boycott campaigns like those suggested by Gayletter be enough to keep designers and brands from working with the Trump family and administration? The jury is out about whether boycotts actually work for their intended purposes. But if Gayletter and others simply wish to voice their opinions with their wallets, that is certainly their right and privilege under our current economic system.