It’s a legacy that has endured for decades. You don’t have to squint too hard to see traces of Steinem’s current mark on fashion trends and today’s fashion industry. Designer Michael Kors directly referenced Steinem as an inspiration for his fall 2023 collection, which was filled with low-slung belts, aviators, and oversized jewelry. The 1970s-tinged flared jeans and micro-mini revival is in full swing at houses like Chloe, and designers are increasingly using their fashion shows to promote social activism (take Prabal Gurung, who used his spring 2025 runway show to encourage people to vote).
Meanwhile, activists continue to follow in Steinem’s footsteps when it comes to connecting the dots between organizing and fashion.
“Steinem’s approach inspired a generation of women to use fashion as a form of rebellion and self-expression, influencing how we continue to connect clothing with social movements today,” Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, says. (The CFDA honored Steinem with its Board of Directors’ Tribute in 2017).
This influence can be felt in Democratic congresswomen wearing white to the State of the Union addresses in recent years, in support of women’s rights and as a nod to the suffragist movement. “[Steinem’s] legacy shows that fashion can be a powerful tool for driving social change, embodying values of equality, individuality, and activism,” Kolb said.
Steinem at the Michael Kors Fall ’23 runway show during New York Fashion WeekDimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Steinem’s style footprint will stretch beyond the tangible items she’s popularized. Yes, even the aviators. “This idea of choice is really important [when you think about Gloria Steinem], and it comes through in fashion—that you can choose who you want to be and you can choose whatever you want to wear, and you can be a feminine feminist or you can not be a feminine feminist and that’s okay,” Rabinovitch-Fox said. “That’s a part of her legacy and message about how important choice is for women—choice for your body, choice about your clothes, choice about your working conditions—that you should have a choice and you shouldn’t be criticized for the choices you make.”
