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Beijing Designer Liu Wei Stages A Fashion Protest

by Jamie Cuccinelli

Y'all remember the Chanel fashion show turned feminist protest in Paris, right? Of course you do. All that fashion and politics righteous co-mingling on the runway last month, successfully commanded the world's attention. However, because of the badass bravery shown and danger at hand, a similarly protest-fueled runway show in Beijing two weeks ago needs just as much - if not even more - attention. During the Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week, Beijing designer Liu Wei staged a Occupy Central demonstration at her Hong Kong fashion show and has been missing ever since.

The message behind models toting bloody umbrellas and donning surgical masks as they strutted down a blood-splattered catwalk wasn't lost on anyone. Wei was addressing the Occupy Central movement and "Umbrella Revolution" currently occurring in China - specifically, the civil disobedience demonstration where the Hong Kong police tear-gassed pro-democracy student demonstrators, who used their umbrellas to protect themselves.

Security guards put a stop to the show, arresting Wei and 10 of her models in their babydoll nurse dresses and Wei hasn't been since.

While I'm still crazy about what Karl Lagerfeld did at the Chanel fashion show, Wei's attempt to raise awareness about the oppression in China puts the man to shame. The designer's display put her at an overwhelming risk and her determination to make the world pay attention to the current movement is so admirable. Let's not let her epic fashion show go to waste and hope for the designer's safety. And let's make these fashion/movement combos a regular thing, shall we?

Images: Getty Images, ShaoJiang/Twitter