The Power of Fashion: The Case for Couture in the Fight Against ISIS
This idea essentially came to me on Christmas night. I had just gotten home from my ridiculously huge family Christmas Day lunch/dinner and was searching on Netflix for something on which to end the long day. I found the 2014 documentary “Dior and I.” As I was watching it, I realized that the fashion world has it right, and has had it right for some time. Let me explain what I mean.
As I’m sure happened around many of your holiday tables, there were lots of spirits and lots of spirited conversations. With the political landscape as it is, I found that this past Christmas featured more spirited conversations than usual. I find I can learn so much more by keeping my mouth shut and listening to the many different opinions offered and discussions that are exchanged as the day (and the wine) wears on — this is, of course, easier said than done. But, I always find it so interesting to not just hear someone’s position or opinion, but to hear why he or she thinks the way he or she does. This past Christmas, the most prevalent discussion turned on the subject of Muslims and the Islamic faith and, quite disturbingly, that discussion was framed in a wholesale “us” versus “them” context.
I say “disturbingly” because, in my opinion, as soon as we frame any issue in that “x” or” y” way, we lose. Simply stated, there is no “us” versus “them.” It is all of us, inextricably interconnected and interdependent, no matter what faith we practice, what beliefs we hold, where we live, what we do or what political ideologies we hold. Yes, there are individuals against whom we fight, but we confuse the extremist for an example of the faith he or she practices or the nation from which he or she hales. We lose sight of the actual issues when we frame discussions in terms of someone’s faith, gender, race, or nationality.
This made the most sense to me as I was watching “Dior and I” and thinking about the fashion/luxury goods market. The documentary features a Belgian fashion designer as the creative director of a French fashion house in his first show, greeting arguably the most important attendee at the show — the British editor of a preeminent American fashion magazine. Thinking about all of those worlds and backgrounds clashing together to produce a beautiful work of art is quite awe-inspiring to consider. And, did you know that Middle Eastern women have been an increasingly driving force in the fashion industry, both as consumers and, most recently, as influential designers? A 2015 article in The Fair Observer highlighted this trend in its report on the “rise of Islamic chic.” In the fashion world, one’s ideology, faith or nationality is not a source of suspicion, but rather, a source of celebration. The pages of Vogue are devoted to new designers from obscure corners of the world bringing new ideas and art forms to the world of fashion.
Yet, in the context of national security issues, we shun or are afraid of these obscure corners and consider those who emanate from those corners as “them” or “outsiders” and are immediately suspicious. Our acknowledgment of our interconnectedness in some worlds, but not in others, is detrimental to the viability of our world. We ignore ignore or simply fail to acknowledge our interconnectedness when we discuss terrorist attacks and allow the “us” versus “them” frame to guide our policy decisions and our dinner conversations.
It’s not “us” versus “them”…it’s just us. And we need to learn how to figure “us” out in this interconnected world.
The author is an attorney working in a major metropolitan American city who focuses on public safety-related law. The author is part of The White Hat Syndicate, a Medium account launched on October 26 that publishes thought-provoking articles about cutting-edge homeland security topics. The six authors come from a diverse array of professional and personal backgrounds: legal, fire, environmental health, federal transportation security, and law enforcement.
The Syndicate invites you to engage us in conversation, either here on Medium or via Twitter. We look forward to the discussion.
Opinions expressed in this essay are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official policy of their employer, professional associations, the United States Naval Postgraduate School, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.
