Louis Vuitton's artistic director calls Trump a 'joke' days after president visited luxury brand's new Texas factory
Days after Donald Trump toured the Louis Vuitton new workshop in Alvarado, Texas, the artistic director of the luxury retail giant, Nicolas Ghesquière, distanced himself from the president by "refusing this association."
Ghesquière, in an Instagram post, on Sunday denounced Trump as a "joke," as he shared album art for the song High Energy by Evelyn Thomas. The post was accompanied by the caption: "Standing against any political action. I am a fashion designer refusing this association #trumpisajoke #homophobia."
High Energy, the dance song posted by Ghesquière, was prominent in gay clubs in the mid 80s. The artistic director's post appeared to be directed against the Trump administration's treatment of the LGBTQ community. Ghesquière's attack on Trump came three days after the president toured the Louis Vuitton workshop in Alvarado, Texas along with LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault and Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke.
Ghesquière, however, took a big decision in an attempt to distance himself from Trump with the post.
The artistic director of women’s collections, who has been with Louis Vuitton since 2013, became the latest fashion designer to slam the president after Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, and Philip Lim. Several other designers have reportedly gone as far as to vow to never dress the First Lady Melania Trump in their designs.
Ghesquière's Instagram post received support and praise from multiple industry figures, including Louis Vuitton’s accessories creative director Camille Miceli, Out Magazine editor-in-chief Phillip Picardi, makeup artist James Kaliardos, Veronika Heilbrunner, former Elle UK editor-in-chief Anne-Marie Curtis.
Louis Vuitton, however, did not comment on the post.
Teddy Quinlivan, one of the most prominent fashion models in the industry at the moment, also supported Ghesquière's post with by writing: "Thank you for standing on the right side of history."
Grab Your Wallet, an organization that calls for economic boycotts against companies that have any connections with Trump, reportedly told their followers to boycott the designer label after Trump visited its Texas factory.
One of the founders of the movement, Shannon Coulter, last week said: "Creating jobs is not an excuse to ignore morally repugnant behaviour," according to Busines of Fashion. "Businesses are willing to look the other way in order to work with the Trump administration, but it’s a worrisome trend."