Puerto Rican fashion designer who made 'F*** Trump' gown: 'I will not be silenced'
Former Project Runway contestant Rey Ortiz designed a controversial black evening gown with gold letters that read “F*** Trump.” Ortiz has used his creation as a political statement to criticize the president’s efforts — or reported lack thereof — to help the community of Puerto Rico, which was devastated after being hit by Hurricane Maria. The sparkling dress is now going viral.
A post shared by Rey Ortiz (@fashionbyreyortiz) on Aug 23, 2016 at 6:41pm PDT
The U.S. territory is in crisis. Thousands have lost their homes and are struggling without power, food, and water. Celebrities including Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Lin-Manuel Miranda have urged the president act to help the island.
Ortiz’s dress debuted at the Project Runway WERK Fashion Show at last year’s Austin Pride. The native of Puerto Rico tells Yahoo Lifestyle, “The dress was designed and executed by me before I even thought he had a chance on winning the election.”
A post shared by Rey Ortiz (@fashionbyreyortiz) on Aug 21, 2016 at 8:17pm PDT
“It was the closing piece for my collection, and even though I knew it was controversial language, I thought that I had to go down to his level,” he says. “I think he is a misogynist and con artist … liar, racist, and a so on.”
It was the president’s tweets toward the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Saturday that pushed Ortiz to repost his controversial gown on Instagram with various news headlines regarding the matter.
A post shared by Rey Ortiz (@fashionbyreyortiz) on Sep 30, 2017 at 12:13pm PDT
In his early-morning messages, Trump slammed San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz for publicly criticizing the Trump administration for its slow response to the crisis.
…Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
…want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
Ortiz shared with Yahoo Lifestyle that since Trump became president he has made it a priority to keep up with his politics, something that didn’t interest him before.
“I will not be silenced. Now the Puerto Rico situation has made me even more worked up, since I’m from there. My dress is here to stay,” he says. “I will use my art as much as possible, since my resources are not many. I can share my two cents.”
The designer has made other pieces to reflect his political frustration toward Trump. Former NSync member Lance Bass wore Ortiz’s “Love Trumps Hate” jacket on the red carpet for the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.
A post shared by Rey Ortiz (@fashionbyreyortiz) on Aug 28, 2016 at 4:50pm PDT
#lancebass in @fashionbyreyortiz #bomber #jacket photography by @tatephoto
A post shared by Rey Ortiz (@fashionbyreyortiz) on Aug 28, 2016 at 10:34pm PDT
The designer shared that he has another controversial creation in mind. “As long as Trump and his followers keep opening their nasty and big mouths, the dress will keep getting more and more popular,” he says. “I often think if I should start designing the impeachment one.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Indian model embraces traditional style, despite pressure to tone it down
Tiffany Trump slammed for ‘tone-deaf’ post amid Puerto Rico crisis
Why Sofia Vergara sells G-strings and granny panties for the exact same price
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