Don't Boycott LVMH—Fashion Jobs Are Coming to Texas.

Following the grand opening of Louis Vuitton’s new factory in rural Texas, the conversation should be about jobs. After all, 150 employees currently work in the facility. And within five years, the factory is expected to employ a total of 1,000 workers. The leather workshop will produce many of Louis Vuitton’s classic bags, which will proudly sport “Made in the USA” labels. For the highly skilled American worker, and for Louis Vuitton fans eager to support the American economy, this is great news. And yet, media coverage of the ribbon cutting was not about job creation or the fact that an iconic fashion brand is manufacturing products in America. On the contrary, Louis Vuitton’s parent company, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, has been added to the campaign #grabyourwallet. In other words, consumers are boycotting LVMH. Why? Because President Trump cut the ribbon at the new factory on October 17th.

And yet, this unveiling was not intended to be political. Instead, Louis Vuitton’s chief executive Bernard Arnault celebrated the unveiling as a representation of Louis Vuitton’s commitment to the American economy. Neither Arnault, nor the company he represents, endorsed the President of the United States or his policies. Arnault himself made this point quite succinctly: “We are very honored to have the [P]resident of the United States. I’m not here to judge any types of policies. I’m here to work with my brand, and we are going to, over five years, have 1,000 people working here, and that’s what matters.” Arnault added that the event also illustrated “the commitment of President Trump to the American worker.” But, it’s important to emphasize that this was not meant as a political comment; rather, it was a statement of fact. By pressuring companies to manufacture more of their products in America, President Trump is committed to creating jobs on American soil. And an individual doesn’t have to be a Trump voter - or even a potential supporter - to admit this.

After all, as is made clear by Arnault’s comment, this was not a Louis Vuitton sponsored Trump rally; it was a big win for the American worker. It was a celebration for the local community of Alvarado, Texas, as well as a landmark event: bringing the manufacturing of high fashion to Texas. And despite the fact that President Trump, senior White House advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and other administration officials attended the event, politics should not have been the focus. This wasn’t about political endorsements or lack thereof. It was about the American worker.

Nonetheless, a few days after the event, Nicolas Ghesquière, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s women’s wear, posted on Instagram in protest against his employer’s “association” with the President of the United States. Ghesquière’s post read, “Standing against any political action. I am a fashion designer refusing this association #trumpisajoke #homophobia.” The image on the post features Evelyn Thomas’ song “High Energy.”

And as Vanessa Friedman documented in her ensuing New York Times piece, Ghesquière’s post instigated a firestorm. Friedman provides a “who’s who” list of individuals across the fashion industry, who responded to Ghesquière’s post with enthusiastic applause - from Camille Miceli to Giambattista Valli and Julien Dossena. And as has become the norm within the fashion industry - and within American culture, in general - the Trump-associated ribbon cutting was vilified and mocked as a faux pas, committed by “mistaken” LVMH leadership.

Rather than focus upon the monumental achievement of such a ribbon cutting, the press chose instead to run headlines highlighting Ghesquière’s Instagram post. It must be emphasized that Ghesquière possesses the freedom to voice his dissent - as he very well should. He should have the right to voice his frustration, and he did. It is nonetheless worthwhile to reflect upon the media’s response to Ghesquière’s post. After all, the fallout of the event is representative of more than internal tension in Louis Vuitton’s leadership; the fallout is about even more than the specific act of President Trump cutting the ribbon at a new Louis Vuitton factory. Instead, the fallout emphasizes the bitterness and hatred that members of the fashion community feel towards the President of the United States.

The Washington Post ran the headline “Trump praised Louis Vuitton during a factory visit. A designer there called him ‘a joke.’'“ Of course, the headline of the piece was not that new jobs are being created in Johnson County, Texas. The headline did not even make it clear that a brand new Louis Vuitton factory just opened on American soil. Instead, the headline’s focus was political; the narrative was carefully selected, so that “the news” was not the creation of jobs, but Ghesquière’s dislike of the President. And The Washington Post wasn’t the only news outlet to take such a perspective. Newsweek ran the headline, “After Trump and Ivanka visit, Louis Vuitton Artistic Director posts He’s ‘Refusing this Association,’” while The Huffington Post released, “Louis Vuitton Director Slams Trump as ‘Joke’ After Visit to Brand’s Texas Workshop.”

As increased political outrage ensued, Grab Your Wallet extended its boycott of Trump-affiliated companies, to include Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy brands (which include Dior, Givenchy, and Marc Jacobs, among others). In order to be removed from the list, Grab Your Wallet demands that LMVH issue a statement in regret over President Trump’s appearance at the factory opening. The campaign also demands that LVMH refuse to conduct other events with the Trump administration, in the future.

And yet, as Grab Your Wallet exercises its first amendment rights, in order to advocate for boycotting any company associated with the President’s administration, it is notable that the creation of new jobs in Texas is thanks to President Trump’s Pledge to America’s Workers program. Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy pledged to created 1,000 jobs as part of this pledge, and the company is doing just that. And in commitment to the Pledge to America’s Workers program, LVMH has also opened two workshops in California.

To date, 366 companies have joined the pledge - totaling 14,373,559 jobs pledged. Companies that have joined the pledge include such corporate behemoths as Amazon, Apple, and Google. And given the extensive list of corporations participating in the program, it becomes clear that this is not a mass corporate endorsement of the Trump administration or of the GOP. On the contrary, this pledge isn’t about who votes for which candidate during the 2020 presidential election. Instead, as President Trump stated at the ribbon cutting, the new Louis Vuitton factory is evidence of an “extraordinary revival of American manufacturing.” And the creation of high skill jobs in the fashion industry, on American soil, is something all Americans can celebrate.