Paris Designers Make BLM Plea

Designers Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, who both have Caribbean roots, made an impassioned plea for the Black Lives Matter movement through the Dutch brand, Botter, at Paris men's fashion week.

The designers who were also runners up in the prestigious LVMH Prize in 2018, delivered a heartfelt plea for people to "unite against violence on the black community, against violence on any community" as they unveiled their online show. 

With being forced online due to the coronavirus, brands showing short films about their collections on Paris Fashion Week.

Rushemy Botter was born on the island of Curacao, part of the Dutch Caribbean, while his partner Herrebrugh's mother hails from the Dominican Republic.

Political stances as such are extremely rare in the fashion world, where labels tends to fear of attracting controversy. The couple showcased a one-and-a-half-minute call to action before showing two black models in gently poetic creations in white, black and brown creations.

The couple stated that their collection "was the hardest we have ever done because it was trying to express a positive vision of the Black Lives Matter movement.so we just send story out without pics. We are standing against racism, ignorance and a lack of empathy."

"As designers we are dreamers and the power of the dream is that it brings a belief to life. We all need to believe it is possible to unite," they added.

Their mix of black and Caribbean cultures have tend to inspire them throughout the years. They also said that prejudice and violence could be overcome "with our family, a family where nobody is left behind... a multicultural family in a global and diverse world."

By Erica Pamela