A new report from WWD tallies the fashion industry's contributions to the election campaigns of the various presidential candidates and finds that, no big surprise, the industry tends to lean left when it comes to politics.
According to WWD's tally (done by the Center for Responsive Politics) of contributions from "mass retail and apparel brand executives and employees," a whopping $435,160 went into the coffers of the various presidential candidates in February, with Obama netting the majority (53.9 percent) and Romney in second place (45.9 percent).
The fact that the industry should lean towards Obama in terms of contributions should come as no real surprise: Not only are style luminaries like Anna Wintour leading the charge in terms of fundraising (WWD reports that designers like Tory Burch and Michael Kors have given the maximum for individuals: $5,000), Vogue also reportedly helped engineer a special fashion initiative called "Runway for Change," with proceeds going to the Obama campaign.
Not only does Obama's social agenda sync up with the mostly liberal agenda of the industry (especially when it comes to gay rights and women's issues), the First Lady's move to champion American fashion -- and upstart designers in general -- have won serious favor with fashion insiders and heavyweights alike.
That said, Romney's 45.9 percent slice of the fashion industry's contributions is certainly significant, and reflects many larger fashion businesses' belief that Romney's pro-business agenda will better benefit their businesses in the long-term.
