Just last week, LVMH’s head honcho Bernard Arnault stood alongside President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka in Texas where they unveiled a new Louis Vuitton factory — the second in the US, joining their Californian outpost. Bernard claimed it would provide jobs for over 1,000 American people over the next five years.
It put the French conglomerate in the firing line for the #GrabYourWallet social media campaign, which highlights brands that align themselves with Trump and questions how strongly they agree with his socio-political stances. In the past, companies like Equinox and Soulcycle have received backlash for working with, or accepting funds from the President.
“We are very honoured to have the president of the United States coming for the opening,” Bernard told journalists at a press conference held on the site of the new factory. “I am not here to judge his types of policies. I have no political role. I am a business person. I try to tell him what I think for the success of the economy of the country, and the success of what we are doing.”
It seems that not all of the major figures in the Louis Vuitton team agreed with Trump being present at the site’s launch. Specifically, Nicolas Ghesquiere, the brand’s artistic director of womenswear, released a brief but potent statement on Instagram.
Alongside a screenshot of Evelyn Thomas’ 80s pro-love anthem “High Energy”, Nicolas wrote, “Standing against any political action. I am a fashion designer refusing this association.” He accompanied the post with the hashtags #trumpisajoke and #homophobia.
Ghesquiere is known for giving trans and queer performers a platform through his collections. For his most recent SS20 showcase, he beamed the video for SOPHIE’s “It’s Okay to Cry” onto a gigantic backdrop his models marched in front of. He has cast model Teddy Quinlivan in several of his shows (she responded to his post, stating: “BRAVO👏🏻 Thank you for standing on the right side of history 🙌🏼🙌🏼❤️❤️”), and has put Pose star Indya Moore in the fashion spotlight as one of the brand’s foremost celebrity faces. They too responded to his statement, commenting “I was holding my breath. C’mon Nicolas!” underneath the image.
Women’s Wear Daily reached out to a Louis Vuitton spokesperson. They are yet to comment on Ghesquiere’s stance.