The PennZone

OAKLAND, Calif. - PennZone -- FVF is a visually immersive evening of fashion, music and political theater that exposes the rise of fascism in the US and the need to resist. A runway revolution premiering October 3 in Oakland, CA. Democracy is under siege, and culture is one of our most potent defenses.

Fashion has always been a mirror held up to power, celebrating individuality, challenging convention, and giving people a language for self-expression when words fall short. This fall, a collective of designers, artists, and organizers is turning that mirror on the politics of the moment with Fashion vs. Fascism (FvF), a live runway show and political theater experience premiering October 3, 2026 at the Rotunda in Oakland, California.

Part fashion show, part protest, part performance art, FvF stages five runway collections, spotlighting the pillars of contemporary fascist politics and the urgent need to resist: the myth of a "glorious past," the manufactured emergencies used to justify surveillance and crackdowns, and the oligarchs and grifters profiting from it all. Runway fashion shares the stage with political theater and live music, with a closing call to action.

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"We need lawsuits, ballots and mass protests, but none of it lands if we're not also fighting for people's imagination," says Linda Burnham, co-producer of the show. "People are exhausted and scared. Fashion vs. Fascism will expose the absurdities of fascist mythology and ideology in ways a news headline cannot, and spark new ideas about how to resist."

"Fascism doesn't win by policy alone. It wins by telling a story. A myth about a golden age. A permanent emergency that makes cruelty seem necessary. That's not an accident, it's a strategy, and it works on the same terrain as culture: image, spectacle, emotion," says Aya De León, the show's playwright.

"Every piece on this runway translates what is happening under fascism into a feeling," explains Erica Furlong, the Runway Creative Director. "One designer's trench coat is covered in pockets stamped TRUTH, MEMORY, HOPE, VOTE, FUTURE because that's literally what gets seized first, pocket by pocket, under fascist decline. Fashion can hold grief and hope in the same silhouette, and that tension is exactly what this moment needs."

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At its best, fashion is about creativity, diversity, innovation, experimentation and the free exchange of ideas. Fascism, by contrast, demands conformity and control, while suppressing dissent. Fashion vs. Fascism: because democracy should always be in style.

Featured designers include Erica Varize, Rickie Lee, Tianna Charity, Julie Wong, and Maria Flores. The evening features a script by lead playwright Aya De León, musical performances by Mindeullae Project and DJ Emancipation, and other special guests

FvF is designed to travel. Following the Oakland premiere, FvF will extend its reach through a documentary short, a curriculum on contemporary fascism in the U.S., and a full replication playbook — design templates, script, and curriculum — so organizers in other cities can stage their own version of the show.

Visit Fashion vs. Fascism for more details.