【2024 Archives】

024 Archivesfashion world has been pretty quiet since French American designer Sophie Theallet announced she won't be dressing future first lady Melania Trump and encouraged other designers to do the same.

Now Tommy Hilfiger has broken the silence, saying he has no qualms about dressing Melania during her time as FLOTUS.

"I think Melania is a very beautiful woman and I think any designer should be proud to dress her,” Hilfiger told Women's Wear Dailyon Monday. "I don't think people should become political about it."

At a charity ball in New York City, Hilfiger told the publication that the fashion world should treat the next FLOTUS just as they have treated the current first lady.

"Everyone was very happy to dress Michelle [Obama] as well. I think they look great in the clothes," he said. "You’re not gonna get much more beautiful than Ivanka or Melania.”

It's a sharp contrast from the stance taken just days ago by Theallet, who has dressed Michelle Obama. She plans to never work with Mrs. Trump, citing the inflammatory remarks and policies of her husband, President-elect Donald Trump.

"The rhetoric of racism, sexism and xenophobia unleashed by her husband's presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by," she wrote in an open letter posted to Twitter on Thursday.

She encouraged other designers to jump on board, but it seems like no one else has. WWDreached out to 25 designers and most just didn't respond or declined to comment. A few would only speak if their names were not published. Diane Von Fursternberg and Michael Kors, both Hillary Clinton supporters, declined to comment.

One anonymous designer said that, with the fashion world being largely not so pro-Trump, it may take time for the industry to warm up to the idea of dressing Melania, even if designers aren't saying that publicly.

“It’s going to be hard-pressed for all these people to align themselves with her, including Anna [Wintour]," the designer told WWD. "All these people were so pro-Hillary. You can’t turn on a dime."

Still, Theallet's decision to refuse dressing Melania has been met with its fair share of open praise.

@sophietheallet this is great. Thank you for taking a stance & making incredible dresses. Fashion needs to learn the two are not exclusive.

— Leila Brillson (@leilaclaire) November 17, 2016

@Adamant_Yves @xanderdolphin @sophietheallet agreed. call it what you will, but i think taking a stand for human rights is noble.

— Lauren Caruso (@laurencaruso_) November 17, 2016

@sophietheallet Thank you for not normalizing a White House that should never feel normal to us. #notnormal #nonormalizing

— Autumn W.M. (@autumnpaz) November 18, 2016