If not black and white, then what?

A reminder of how fashion should be uplifting in today’s political situation

If the idea that humans are capable of effecting change is ever doubted, one can look to the Hong Kong protesters. They have made it onto TIME’s 2019 list of Most Influential People On The Internet. Within roughly six months, the color of what we wear seemingly determines our allegiances. What started off as a choice based on personal preferences quickly turned into a decision grounded in political consciousness. In fact, the extent of its significance in our collective consciousness led to a discussion of what hue my family and I should dress ourselves in as we land in the Hong Kong International Airport. “Yellow? Or green, something more neutral?” is stultified by a “but yellow is reminiscent of the Umbrella Movement in 2014!”

As Hong Kong languishes in violence and discord, there did not seem like there could be a reminder of how our city used to champion our communal love for one another. Fashion has always been linked with politics, being a vehicle in its own right to deliver a statement that demands attention. From Hillary Clinton’s adoption of white clothing to pay tribute to the Women’s Suffrage Movement, to Maria Grazia Chuiri’s “We should all be feminists” slogan T-shirt at Dior, it is clear that fashion embodies passion and ambition. But if black and white are two colors that seem to be too suggestive, what can we wear?

RED Red is a colour significantly associated with political ideology. Representing leftist ideals, socialism or communism ever since the French Revolution in 1789, the tint was never shy from dominating a narrative.

PINK Pink is a colour adopted by those who support women’s causes; representing affection and inner peace, we see it most notably from the ribbons for breast cancer awareness to the Pussyhats of the Women’s Marches in 2017.

YELLOW Yellow is commonly known to signify liberalism, certainly referred to democracy by Hong Kong people when it was the color of the umbrellas raised during the 2014 movement. The People Power Revolution in the Phillippines in 1986 was also known as the Yellow Revolution due to the extensive use of yellow ribbons in protests.

GREEN Green is often linked with environmentalism and is usually seen as a celebration of nature. With that stems its association with the idea of renewal, fertility and peace. In early modern Europe, green was symbolic of the wealth generated by merchants, bankers and the gentry, thus Mona Lisa’s costume and benches in the British House of Commons are green.

BLUE Blue is the most popular colour according to public opinion polls conducted in the US and Europe. It was also said that blue was the favourite colour of Prophet Mohammed in the Islamic religion. Commonly associated with harmony, the flags of the United Nations and the European Union are painted blue to symbolise peaceful relations between nations.

PURPLE Purple has always been associated with regality and monarchism. In fact, it does not represent any contemporary ideology prominently, so it is adopted by to embody rather a mixture of different ideologies, as exemplified by Europe which uses the hue for movements or parties that are not specifically right or left.

The list goes on, but what used to be an insignificant part of our daily routine should now be challenged and regarded as mindful. On a more positive note, to date, we celebrate the LGBTQ community by wearing all colours of the rainbow, and maybe we should focus more on that – the colour of our apparel should embrace inclusivity, happiness and unity, not violence and extreme ideologies.