Photography via Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/FilmMagic

Here’s Why Bella Hadid Cried Walking the Runway at NYFW

Date February 15, 2017

Female empowerment is an emotional feat – just ask supermodel Bella Hadid.

In lieu of a sparkly finale, Prabal Gurung sent models down the runway in t-shirts printed with politically charged messages. Hadid lead the pack, wearing a top that read The Future is Female. The “It Girl” was followed by a string of diverse models, each sporting similar tees stamped with powerful slogans like I Am An Immigrant, Breaking Down Walls, and Stay Woke. Prabal ended the parade with a message of his own, bowing to a standing ovation in a shirt reading This Is What A Feminist Looks Like.

“This whole show was about women’s empowerment, self-love, and powerful, strong women,” Hadid told MarieClaire.com. “Prabal doesn’t tell us how to walk. He says, ‘Be yourself. Be the way you want to be. Be happy. Be strong.’ Every single girl here is so strong and beautiful in her own way. I was crying during the finale. Right now, the way the world is, it’s a beautiful message to pass along.”

Political statements are rocking the runway this season. Here’s a roundup of the ways that designers, models, bloggers and celebs are using fashion week as a rallying cry for feminism and inclusivity.

1/6

#TiedTogether

Curious what all those white bandanas are? Business of Fashion spearheaded the #TiedTogether movement, which encourages fashion followers to send a message of solidarity and unity by sporting a white bandana.

2/6

Creatures of Comfort

Creatures of Comfort’s runway show featured limited edition t-shirts that read We Are All Human Beings. “It’s kind of a reaction to what’s happening right now,” the brand’s founder Jade Lai
told Vogue. “I thought it was a good way to bring positivity to what’s going on.”

3/6

Fashion Stands With Planned Parenthod Pins

The Council of Fashion Designers of America distributed pink pins that read “Fashion Stands with Planned Parenthood” and encouraged fashion week participants to wear them as an accessory. Even Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is taking part.

4/6

Zadig & Voltaire

Models were photographed backstage at Zadig & Voltaire wearing Girls Can Do Anything t-shirts.

5/6

Public School

Walking down the runway to a remix of “This Land is Your Land”, Public School’s models threw shade at Donald Trump with this redesigned Make America Great Again hat.

6/6

Christian Siriano

“I just felt like it was nice to end the show on a little bit of a cleansing idea,” designer Christian Siriano told The Hollywood Reporter. “People are people, we should all be celebrated in our own way. It’s very simple. It’s not that hard to do and I think that that’s what it was about.”

told The Hollywood Reporter