Let's be real: A fashion collection addressing the joys and virtues of a melting pot culture, while always welcome, isn't exactly the most pressing concern in the current political climate. Still, the timing of Opening Ceremony's spring '17 collection, which was directly inspired by photographs of immigrants arriving on Ellis Island in the 19th century, plus the so-called Action capsule is not insignificant. See, the brand presented its spring '17 collection (by way of Justin Peck’s latest ballet, The Times Are Racing , for which Humberto Leon designed the costumes) just one day after president Donald Trump issued an executive action blocking people from seven countries deemed "terror-prone" by the administration, the effects of which were immediately felt and incredibly distressing. However, Opening Ceremony is putting its money (or, rather, its customers' money) where its mouth is, so to speak, by donating the proceeds from some of the pieces seen on stage to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) , according to The Fader . At the ballet, Opening Ceremony seemed to imagine an alternate reality, where difference is celebrated — or, at least one meant to inspire its wearers to take a stand. Spring '17 is rooted in the idea of the meeting (and sharing) of culture, although the brand's interpretation is much more optimistic than what we’re used to hearing from those in power, actually enacting change. Leon and Carol Lim imagine a hopeful, even fantastical journey with their garments, drawing from different aesthetics and silhouettes to highlight just how good these seemingly incongruous styles go together. (Think psychedelic prints on kimono-style jackets, macramé meets cowl necks, and so on). If that messaging is a little too subtle, the Action capsule, which was shown as part of spring ’17 and is worn by some of Peck’s dancers in The Times Are Racing, drives the message home: hoodies and T-shirts emblazoned with verbs like "Defy," "Protest," and "Unite," which Lim note embody "what it means to be an American,” according to a statement