šļø The Ensemble: Ralph Lauren Teams Up With Indigenous Fashion Brand Topa This Holiday Season While the Transportation Secretary Checks Your Fits
Plus: Trump's style shakeup, Saudiās quiet push to open up, UN warnings on AI abuse, crisis declared in South Africa and global crackdowns on womenās clothing
Dear Ensemble Readers,
If youāre reading this en route to your Thanksgiving plans, congratulations youāre a part of history. The FAA says this is the busiest holiday travel season in 15 years and the US Transportation Secretary is worried about your look. āDress a little better,ā says Sean Duffy - and frankly, classy and comfortable on the plane is H2H approved. This is my go-to travel fit check, has had its fair share of compliments with bonus points for the purpose driven fashion: the Aql & Nafs vest empowers women embroidery artisans in Afghanistan. Code NewsWithSuz for a discount.
Trump and Mamdaniās Surprising Truce and Style Inspo
A series of recent reversals, from a change of course on H-1B visas to the release of the Epstein files, has shaken Trumpās loyal MAGA base and triggered the sudden resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trumpās staunchest allies. This week, in another about-face, President Trump and new New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani struck a harmonious chord in their first meeting in the Oval Office. They discussed shared goals of making life better for New Yorkers and, according to Trump, agreed on more than expected.
After meeting with Mamdani, whom he had previously called a jihadi and a communist, Trump said he would feel comfortable living in New York City. But donāt think the two are besties just yet. Soon after their meeting, Mamdani doubled down on his previous comments that Trump is a fascist and a despot, citing the important role of critique in domestic politics.
Sources: PBS, Politico (image), People (image)
Ralph Lauren Teams Up with Indigenous Brand TĆ³pa
As the nation prepares American Thanksgiving feasts tomorrow, an increasing consciousness continues to rise around the roots of this holiday, and the sensitivities towards how the Native American community feels about the tradition. In the first of its kind from a āsuper brand,ā Ralph Lauren has launched the fourth installment of its āArtist in Residenceā program with Indigenous-led clothing company TĆ³pa. The program invites artisans centering traditional craftsmanship to collaborate with Laurenās design teams to expand the brandās portrayal of āAmericanā culture and partner with communities that have historically inspired Ralph Laurenās designs. Founded by Jocy and Trae Little Sky, indigenous people from the Great Plains of North America, TĆ³pa showcases traditional techniques of quilling, beading and leatherwork. A percentage of revenues from the collection, launched globally last week, will support Lakota language and education initiatives.
Source: WWD
South Africa Declares Gender Violence a National Disaster
Just in time for International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, South Africa has declared gender-based violence a national disaster. The country has one of the worldās highest femicide rates, an estimated five times higher than the global average. The governmentās move followed a month of G20 protests by Women 4 Change including labor strikes, consumer boycotts, and a lie-down protest. Framing violence as a crisis will increase resources for eradicating violence against women. Women 4 Change plans to work with government officials on a detailed timeline and action plan, celebrating the progress on Instagram as proof that āwe have forced the country to finally confront the truth.ā
Source: The Guardian
UN Launches Global Push Against Online Abuse of Women
UN Women launched a ā16 Days of Activismā campaign to combat digital violence, including AI deepfakes and image-based sexual abuse that target girls and women. Digital spaces have become a frontline in the fight for gender equality and the site of increasing violence fueled by anonymity and lack of accountability. Less than 40% of countries have laws addressing digital violence, and existing laws are hard to enforce.
The campaign calls for companies to hire more women in tech development, build safer platforms, remove harmful content swiftly, and embed accountability into AI design. It also stresses the importance of investing in inclusive culture-building programs for youth to challenge toxic gender norms that are pervasive in online communities like the āmanosphere.ā
Source: UN, UN (image)
Booze, Business, and Soft Power: Saudi Expands Alcohol Sales
Two years ago I asked on stage in Saudi Arabia at a UN World Tourism Conference about plans to allow alcohol in the Islamic Kingdom. I was told it wouldnāt be necessary for tourism. After a 73-year ban on selling alcohol in the Kingdom, Saudi opened one store last year for diplomats only in a nondescript building in Riyadhās Diplomatic Quarter known as the ābooze bunker.ā Previously, alcohol was only available through diplomatic āblack bagā backchannels or home brewing.
In recent weeks the store has quietly expanded its clientele to welcome any non-Islamic expat āpremium residencyā holders, according to news site Semafor. The move marks another milestone in Crown Prince MBSā efforts to āopenā the country after allowing women to drive and relaxing rules around gender segregation in public places. Reforms have helped Saudi Arabia lure tourists ahead of the 2034 World Cup and attract international businesses through Vision 2030, an ambitious economic blueprint to reduce its oil dependency.
Progress on liberalisation is part of MBSā ongoing campaign to woo Washington. The crown princeās recent trip there yielded big wins in the form of a F-35 jet deal, bilateral AI agreements, and Trumpās shrugging away of Saudi responsibility for the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Source: Semafor
Clothing Crackdowns Stretch from Australia to Chechnya
A far-right Australian Senator has been barred from Parliament for the rest of the year over her offensive choice of clothing. Pauline Hanson, leader of the xenophobic, Islamophobic One Nation party, strode into the chamber earlier this week wearing a burqa. Styled to protest the Senateās rejection of her proposed ban on the burqa and other face coverings in public spaces, her outfit made a powerful visual statement. Fellow Senators were not amused by the stunt that many called disrespectful, and passed a censure motion that will ban her from appearing in the Senate until next February.
Her political maneuver follows on the heels of two new state initiatives in Chechnya targeting womenās dress. One prevents women from wearing āmasculine elementsā of clothing including gazyrs, or rows of bullet pockets sewn on the chest of the traditional cherkeska, a high-necked woolen coat. Originally used by male warriors to store gunpowder, gazyrs have become national symbols of courage, honor, and protection, values that are apparently off limits for women.
Another new initiative mandates the headscarf for women in public spaces while banning the niqab. Chechnyaās Cultural Ministry claims the new dress codes are designed to safeguard cultural values and tradition. In a fashion twist to the story, Aishat Kadyrova, the daughter of Chechnyaās leader, recently resigned from her post as deputy prime minister for social affairs, saying the job was more suited for āstrong menā. She now heads up the Firdaws modest fashion house, which brands itself as elegant clothing for men and women ātrue to their cultureā. Faced with EU and US sanctions, Firdawsā collections have become more conservative over the past year. Conveniently. Kadyrova may be one of the few women to benefit from Chechnyaās new clothing restrictions.
Sources: PBS, Radio Free Europe
Thanks for tuning in this week! From Trump and Mamdaniās unexpected dĆ©tente to South Africa naming gender violence a national disaster, the news cycle didnāt let anyone breathe.
Weāll be back next week tracking the policy shifts, power plays, and cultural twists that shape how we live, dress, and move through the world. Stay curious and stay sharp.
This piece really made me think how you always catch the intricate algoritms of political maneuvering, like that Trump-Mamdani "truce" reversal, all while giving us actual style inspiration that matters and makes a real impact.