Feeling Snubbed on New York Runways, They Staged a MAGA Fashion Show

By Jiselle Lee / The Washington Post

11:24 JST, September 20, 2024

RONKONKOMA, N.Y. – Away from the hustle and bustle of the fashion scene in Manhattan, local politicians, outspoken conservative celebrities and designers who feel blacklisted from the international fashion events that happen in the city put on a show of their own on Tuesday. In a warehouse in a hamlet on Long Island, they showed off sparkly bomber jackets, bedazzled hats and couture evening wear.

America First Warehouse, which calls itself “America’s most patriotic venue,” is dedicated to hosting speakers, organizations and events showcasing conservative values. The large American flags, repurposed billboards of former GOP candidates and as many muscly portraits of Donald Trump that could fit on the warehouse’s walls painted the setting for the themed event.

Many of the about 100 attendees are local to the New York area, while others flew into Long Island from across the country in support of a community that’s been feeling left out from the fashion scene.

Fashion has been a surprisingly recurring theme during this year’s election, said Cindy Grosz, the creative director of America First Warehouse. She’s participated in a handful of shows during New York Fashion Week over the years but has found it increasingly political and unwelcoming to Republicans.

Grosz, who lost a 2020 primary for a U.S. House seat on Long Island, says she feels disappointed by the events held during Fashion Week that Vogue’s Anna Wintour claimed were nonpartisan, despite the magazine’s endorsement of Kamala Harris’s campaign. To Grosz, Jill Biden’s opening speech and repeated references to Harris were screamingly anti-Republican.

“People want to put Republicans in a box, and they say we’re not creative or artistic,” she said. “We want to show them otherwise.”

The fashion show got some attention on social media after a New York Post article previewed some of the items featured at the event. One of the designs was a baby pink jumpsuit designed by designer Kate Ganci, with a drawing of a TV and the words “Kill The Messenger” scrawled onto the back, representing opposition to mainstream media.

“These designers want a safe space to showcase their designs,” she said. “They want to feel welcome in a creative environment, and I think we all need that desperately.”

Conservative celebrities such as actress Martha Byrne, classical singer Daniel Erbe and dance musician Lovari participated in the show – sharing their support for Trump and the Republican Party.

The fashion show took place one night before Trump held a rally in nearby Uniondale, N.Y. While the participants expressed their desire to have fun amid a stressful political environment, some of the designers have also been eager to have their work taken seriously.

Elie Balleh, a New York fashion designer, said politics has severed long-standing business relationships he’s had for decades. After speaking with a buyer from a luxury department store about his conservative views in March, Balleh said he suddenly was removed from the store’s list of sellers. Although the store never told him the reason, Balleh said he felt it was because of a difference in political opinions.

“I’ve never had any problems with other people’s political views,” he said. “It shouldn’t matter that I love Trump. He’s a businessman; I’m a businessman. I respect his ideas.”

Sara Brady, of Boise, found out about the fashion show about 10 days before the event and immediately, she and her husband Tim Brady booked a flight to New York to participate in it.

Ever since she was a child, Brady loved to flip through magazines with her sister to experience the glitz and glamour of a high-fashion community that felt so far away from their life in Idaho. Her mother taught her to sew, and she’s made clothes for herself from time to time.

Brady said she feels inspired by personal experience to make custom dresses for herself and other people to wear at national events. She made her first dress – she calls it her “Thin Blue Line” dress – to wear to a policeman’s ball in support of her husband and his co-workers. In 2020, she was arrested for taking her children to a closed playground during a covid lockdown, which helped her gain a following when she started protesting covid restrictions.

She has now designed dozens of dresses for various events, including a Declaration of Independence dress and a “Don’t Tread On Me” dress.

“What I enjoy about doing fashion and design is you are enjoying and sharing yourself with other people, instead of tearing other people down,” she said. “You’re a creative, and it doesn’t matter if we have differing views. I can still appreciate fashion, even if I don’t necessarily agree with the message.”

Deborah Yanna, from Des Moines, has spent years of her time and donated thousands of dollars to the Trump campaign, and is a member of the campaigning group the Trumpettes and a delegate at the Republican National Convention. Now, the 58-year-old’s latest endeavor in helping the Trump campaign is launching her own fashion brand, named Make America Sparkle Again.

“To me, it’s free speech,” she said. “It’s exciting that we can make things like this, and it makes people happy.”

Her brand features sequined bomber jackets of every color with various phrases on the back, such as “Jews Choose Trump” and “Swifties for Trump.”

“President Trump is going to make America sparkle again,” she said.

Cara Castronuova, a 44-year-old boxer from Long Island, has been using her platform to support Trump. She has won two Golden Gloves championships in Madison Square Garden, and was ranked No. 2 nationally by USA Boxing.

Castronuova volunteered to model for the show because she said it’s important to do fun things to ease the high tension in politics. She modeled rhinestone embellished hats made by 52-year-old Long Islander Kell Capotosto.

“I can’t wait for election to be over,” Castronuova said. “The political climate right now is too divisive. Politics has entered spaces where it’s never been before, and we just need to come together through events like these.”