( By Brandon Showalter) In a Nov. 17 letter, designer Sophie Theallet, writing on behalf of her entire brand, said that it has been an honor to dress First Lady Michelle Obama for the past 8 years, but that she would not even associate with Melania Trump. “As a family owned company, our bottom line is not just about money,” she wrote,
“We value our artistic freedom.” “As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady. The rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia, unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by,” she continued. READ MORE