Kamala Harris Could Elevate Sustainable Fashion As First Female President

Delia Ephron, sister and collaborator of the late-great writer-director Nora Ephron, wrote about “the relationship women have with the things they must wear, want to wear, hate to wear, (and) need to wear as they perform their femininity out in the world at work and at home.” A 2022 study found that we are sending signals to others, consciously or unconsciously, by what we put on our bodies.

Our style reflects our values, our personality, our identity, and our priorities, all of which evolve over time. As we gain more experience, more authority, more influence and more responsibility, our clothing choices evolve too.

The ultimate gain in authority, influence and responsibility is being President of the United States (POTUS). Therefore, in this moment in history when we are on the brink (again) of potentially having the first female POTUS, it’s worth thinking about how this potential female POTUS might dress reflecting her values.

The style choices to date of the presumptive Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris clearly tell us that she does not want her clothing to be the story. She probably learned from the absurd and often inappropriate scrutiny that previous female leaders endured on what they wore.

Today, Vice President Harris has a consistent style, which is quite monochromatic, conservative, and elegantly understated. She seems to wear pantsuits almost exclusively, except if she’s at a formal event where she’s in a gown or cocktail attire. From her Converse Chuck Taylors that became a meme during the 2020 campaign to the reasonably-heeled pumps she wears often with suits, her footwear is equally understated. She looks comfortable and classy, able to move with ease, from dancing with a group of little girls (in jeans and a blazer), to strutting on to a high-profile stage to give an important speech.

Sustainable values

Vice President Harris declared in July 2023 that “one of the most urgent matters of our time: this climate crisis,” at a speech in Baltimore, Maryland.

“Every day, all across our nation, we feel and see the impact of the climate crisis,” she continued. “We have seen, around our country, where communities have been choked by drought, have been washed out by floods, and decimated by hurricanes. Here in Baltimore, you have seen your skies darkened by wildfire smoke. And you have seen the waters of the Chesapeake Bay rise, threatening homes and businesses that have stood for generations. It is clear that the clock is not only ticking, it is banging. And we must act.”

She also cast the tie-breaking vote in the Congress to pass the most historic climate legislation in U.S. history, President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, and has long been an advocate for addressing climate and environmental issues. As The Washington Post reported, she created “an environmental justice office while district attorney in San Francisco, prioritized electric school buses, opposed drilling on public lands, and defended California’s push to require less-polluting cars. As a senator, she was an original sponsor of the Green New Deal.”

As the presumptive 2024 Democratic nominee for POTUS, she was endorsed by the political wing of The League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The Fashion industry is terrible on climate

The climate impact statistics of the fashion industry are unacceptable. Here are a few from the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP):

: The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped into landfill every second.

: The fashion industry produces between 8 and 10% of global carbon emissions. That’s more than all the international flights and maritime shipping combined.

: The fashion industry uses about 93 billion cubic meters of water every year, contributing significantly to water scarcity in some regions of the world.

: 500,000 tons of microfibers are released into the ocean every year just from washing clothes. Microfibers are polluting our waters and marine life.

Kerry Bannigan, veteran sustainable fashion advocate, Managing Director of the PVBLIC Foundation, and Co-Founder of the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network and Fashion Impact Fund, told me on Electric Ladies Podcast that the women (almost entirely women) that work in the apparel industry sweatshops in a lot of developing countries are not paid a living wage either.

Will A “President Kamala Harris” Wear Her Sustainable Values?

As potentially the first female President of the United States, Kamala Harris has an extraordinary opportunity to pressure the fashion industry to do more, much more, to reduce their impact on the environment. She can commit to wearing clothing that is made sustainably, for example.

If so, she would have plenty of choices and I’m convinced that designers will embrace the challenge to design sustainably for her, as they have for other celebrities. Quora reported that Emma Watson, for example, “chose an Emilia Wickstead outfit made with recycled yarn to meet Al Gore while donning a repurposed Harris Reed dress for the Earthshot Prize ceremony.” She also wore a “full-look by the Scandinavian upcycling brand Rave Review” at the UN climate conference COP26. Sumissura reported on “23 Sustainable Clothing Brands Leading the Way.”

Cate Blanchette wore a Stella McCartney pantsuit from 95% recycled materials to the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore. British Vogue reports that celebrities are “ramping up” their focus on sustainable fashion, including by wearing eco-conscious brands or vintage clothing. Many are posting photos on social media when they wear dresses or outfits repeatedly too, previously a fashion faux pas.

Performing femininity, power and values

If she wins the 2024 presidential election and is indeed sworn in as President of the United States, it will be interesting to see how Kamala Harris’s style evolves with this huge change in her identity, influence and authority.

It will be fascinating to see how her values, including her urgent call for climate action, are reflected in her clothing choices.

She can emphasize the urgency by prioritizing sustainable pant suits and gowns in her presidential closet.