A ragtag team of wealthy fashion “elites” are reportedly shunning a nonprofit because of the organization’s ties to billionaire real estate developer and philanthropist Stephen M. Ross, who was outed last month as a backer of President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign.
Lying in the Hudson Yards neighborhood of Manhattan is The Shed, a recently opened cultural center run by a nonprofit cultural organization of the same name. Three years ago the organization played a role in “forming a free, citywide residency program for young people.”
However, it appears the organization’s activism isn’t good enough to some. Why? Because Ross has a seat on its board, and according to fashion “elites,” that’s unacceptable.
“Sources say that Michael Kors, Vera Wang and the Academy of Art University were all slated to show their collections at the sleek, $475 million venue but have pulled out,” the New York Post confirmed on Saturday.
“Pretty much all of the events have been canceled at the Shed,” an unnamed employee revealed to the Post. “We don’t know if there are going to be any fashion events here. I think a lot of the designers didn’t support Stephen Ross being on the board here.”
Fact-check: TRUE.
Literally the day after Ross hosted a Hamptons fundraiser for Trump’s reelection campaign last month, A.L. Steiner and Zackary Drucker requested that their art be pulled from the cultural center.
“It felt extremely difficult to participate in the exhibition,” Steiner said to the New York Observer at the time. “Instead of having a fundraiser for whatever he could have a fundraiser for, he had one for Trump.”
And so because Ross has chosen to support a candidate whom she personally dislikes, Steiner thought it only appropriate to remove her work from a nonprofit center …
In fairness to the designer, her Trump Derangement Syndrome has been prevalent in her life since the day Trump won the 2016 election.
“Steiner says she hasn’t shown any new work since the election in November 2016 — only old and collaborative art,” the Observer notes. “This year, she’s shown her work twice — at the Whitney Biennial and Open Call. Both have been mired in controversy. ‘It goes to show myself that it’s too difficult for me to participate right now.'”
Then there’s fashion designer Prabal Gurung, who, besides pulling an upcoming spring 2020 show, ranted on Twitter about Ross’s “appalling, shocking” decision to support Trump, and linked it to the president’s “ugly, divisive racist rhetoric” and a non-existent epidemic of “mass murders at the hands of domestic terrorists and white supremacists.”
Look:
1/10: We are living in crisis mode. Our political and social climate is turbulent and dangerous. White supremacist and domestic terrorists are killing hundreds of people and instilling fear and terror in our daily lives.
— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
2/10:Mental illness is often at forefront of these acts.Our government,which is supposed to keep us safe is doing nothing to improve these individuals lives or our Communities. This dangerous & hateful culture is fueled,inspired by President Trump’s ugly,divisive racist rhetoric
— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
3/10:So to read that Stephen Ross,Chairman/Founder of Related Companies,the real estate devlpmnt behind Hudson Yards & owns Equinox and Soul Cycle, is hosting a fundraiser for President Trump in the Hamptons, is appalling, shocking but & an indication of their integrity & values.
— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
4/10: A company of this size, resources and reach has the potential to make a massive and positive impact on our community, and is instead putting its efforts into fostering an unsafe culture
— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
5/10:This is no longer about party lines, especially now with all the mass murders at the hands of domestic terrorists and white supremacists. Rather, this is a choice that one needs to make now This is about choosing between two sides, the right or the wrong sides of the history
— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
6/10: I am not calling this out to be part of the cancel culture or start some tirade against people, but rather to question these individuals whose motivation seems to be nothing but $$$ and to also challenge our own integrity and choices that we make everyday.
— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
7/10: My goal here is to start a dialogue and maybe, hopefully, change some minds.
I was previously in conversation with Hudson Yards’ The Vessel as the venue for my brand’s upcoming 10 year show during NYFW. When I heard about this fundraiser, I chose to pull my participation.— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
8/10: We hadn’t confirmed anything yet, however we were in direct contact and conversation with the team there and we were keen to partner. The team we were talking to has been wonderful to work with, so I do not wish to implicate the individuals who are simply doing their jobs
— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
9/10: and have been supportive of me and my dream. Removing our brand and selves from this is my choice and that is my decision. I am not expecting anyone else to do it, however it was the right thing to do, for ME, and I do want to speak out to create transparency and awareness.
— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
10/10: The absolute truth about our lives is its impermanence, so at the end of the day when it’s our time to go, we can’t take it with us.
So why not simply do the right thing?— Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) August 7, 2019
After Gurung’s exit, the fashion label Rag & Bone followed suit. But The Shed isn’t the only organization facing backlash. So is the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Why? Because its board features Ross’s wife, jewelry designer Kara Ross.
“Effective immediately, I regretfully but with great certainty, cancel my membership to the Council of Fashion Designers of America. After many years of membership I will no longer participate if a woman that funds the current administration remains on the board,” Dana Lorenz, who reportedly runs the jewelry label Fallon, wrote in a public letter to CFDA last month.
Look:
View this post on Instagram
Like The Shed, CFDA is also a nonprofit — one “which was created to raise funds for charity and industry activities,” not that this matters to those suffering from TDS.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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