Umit Benan’s Stylish Ode to Jackie Robinson

Umit Benan takes a stand against racism on MLK Jr. Day with his Jackie Robinson collection.

January 21, 2014


About 3,500 miles away from America on a runway far, far away, Paris-based menswear designer Umit Benan was celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. day the best way a fashion designer knows how to: with models and clothes. An all-black cast of characters walked the Turkish designer's latest collection, an inspired ode to Jackie Robinson (maybe Benan loved 42 as much as everyone else we know), to a soundtrack of the "I Have a Dream" speech. If that wasn't enough, like a streaker on the field, Benan ran out on to the runway with a sign protesting racism—the second designer since Walter Van Beirendonck to make this round of fashion shows an explicit call for equality. Do we even need to mention that every perfect piece of the baseball-influenced wardrobe makes us want a full kit uniform from the Benan team?

Umit Benan’s Stylish Ode to Jackie Robinson