Emma Watson: ‘Fashion Is a Feminist Issue’
Emma Watson wears blouse by Chanel and earrings by Catbird. Photo: Cass Bird for Porter
If new-wave Feminism were to have only one person representing it in Hollywood, it would very likely be Emma Watson.
The outspoken 25-year-old actress has been the face and voice of the UN Women’s #HeForShe campaign since early 2014. The best dressed list regular is also the cover star of Porter’s “Incredible Women Issue.”
But while her love of fashion and women’s rights may sometimes seem at odds with one another—after all, the fashion industry is under near constant ridicule for its treatment of female models and lack of body diversity—she promises they’re related.
“I think using fashion as a means of expression is brilliant,” she tells Porter. “One of the ways I became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador was through my interest in fair-trade fashion.”
Emma Watson wears blouse and belt by Oscar de la Renta and hat by Étoile Isabel Marant. Photo: Cass Bird for Porter
Watson says that feminism’s roots in fashion extend beyond models, sizing, and ad campaigns, and into the women who are actually making the clothing, itself. “Because so many women design and make the clothes we wear, it’s primarily the working conditions of women that are affected by the decisions we make, so fashion is a feminist issue,” she explains.
Though other celebrities and industry insiders have attempted to connect fashion and feminism in the past (See: Chanel’s “light hearted” feminist runway protest), Watson’s reasoning hits on another aspect altogether. She’s talking about the women who work all day long in factories, creating the fabric and sewing the clothing that ends up on the racks of our favorite stores—the women who really deserve to be heard.
So in that sense, yes—fashion is completely a feminist issue.
For more on Emma Watson, see Porter’s “Incredible Women Issue,” available Dec. 4.
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