Models Carried White Roses At Fashion Week To Honor The Power Of Women

Feminist fashion has been having a moment lately, but this could be one of the most powerful examples yet. Typically the #MeToo movement's intersection with fashion has been corralled onto the red carpet, but it's breaking out with a little help from Prabal Gurung. The brand, which has sent down items like the iconic "The Future Is Female" shirts, has done it again and in an even bigger way.

As Fashionista originally reported, Prabal Gurang models carried white roses and other white flowers down the runway to honor powerful women. The gesture might seem small, but it is a big way to celebrate the women walking and sitting in the audience. Models Gigi and Bella Hadid were a part of the sartorial moment, but it was the inspiration that is the real shining moment.

According to Fashionista, the show was inspired by powerful women of Gurang's hometown, as well as women-led groups like India's Gulabi Gang, which is a woman's empowerment group, and the Mosuo tribe of China, a matrilineal society in the country.

"On a quest to unearth his memories of seeing women at the forefront, so heavily influenced by his mother and his childhood in Nepal, Prabal explored the matrilineal world of the Mosuo Tribe, situated in the Yunnan Province of China," the Instagram caption featuring looks from the show read.

Models wore bright colors and multiple different prints down the runway. For the finale, each one carried a small bouquet of white flowers for the runway as well. The gesture, which was first seen at the 2018 Grammy Awards, is known as a way to show support of the #MeToo movement founded by Tarana Burke.

Gurung has yet to comment on his inspiration for the flowers, but there are some indications that it is in honor of the #MeToo movement. For one, there was the major push to highlight women of all ethnicities in the show. Burke also sat front row at the New York Fashion Week show, which, according to Fashionista, was her first time doing so. There's a good chance that it wasn't a coincidence.

Models stood in silence at the end of the runway, holding their white flowers in hand, before turning around and walking off together. As they turn to leave, Bella put a hand to Gigi's back as they walked, making for a powerful moment that was noticed by people on social media.

This isn't the only way that the designer brought a little girl power to the runway, either. From the front row to behind the scenes, girl power was in full swing at the New York Fashion Week event.

According to Fashionista, the designer put up posters behind the scenes that had phrases like, "Your voice is your power: Use it for justice," and "YOU are the present, YOU are the future, YOU rule the world, WALK with intention." Not your typical NYFW instructions.

The entire event goes to show how fashion can go hand-in-hand with raising awareness for movements like #MeToo and Time's Up. The idea was first seen when actors and actresses wore all black to the Golden Globes and then white flowers, and even some all-white outfits, to the Grammys.

All of the flowers that the models carried were different sizes. Some were fully bloomed, while other were only just beginning to bud. If, like people are suggesting, it is a reflection of the women's movements, it's a powerful statement. No matter where the flowers are in their own journeys, they are all are a part of the bouquet that makes up the whole.

Unlike the other sartorial pushes to highlight the movement, there was a plethora of bold colors seen walking the runway. As the Prabal Gurun Instagram caption says, "This is the #pgworld, where we celebrate female solidarity, we share the colours of Prabal’s home in the east, and we present a vision for our collective future, a future that is #StrongerInColour."