Cultural appropriation has taken the fashion industry by storm and caused controversy putting companies in a negative spotlight forcing brands to walk on eggshells when creating new fashion pieces.
Tori Jennings
The name ‘Kim Kardashian’ is extremely well known not only within the fashion industry, but by most people on this planet of over seven billion. For many, she represents a brand of exciting business ventures, the face of criminal justice reform in the U.S., and most of all fashion. However, throughout the past few years, her name has left a bitter taste in the mouth of people from cultures all over the world. Through hairstyle specifically, she has faced immense backlash from the African American community about cultural appropriation; not to mention the same allegations stemming from her shapewear line, originally named “Kimono.” Though this is just one of many examples, it is evident that cultural appropriation has taken the fashion industry by storm and caused controversy putting companies in a negative spotlight forcing brands to walk on eggshells when creating new fashion pieces.
According to Professor Kraeplin, a fashion journalism professor at Southern Methodist University, the term or idea of cultural appropriation “originated with philosopher James O. Young’s Book Cultural Appropriation of the Arts, published in 2008, which detailed the ways in which artists and musicians take influences from a minority of indigenous cultures to use in their work.” Essentially, cultural appropriation has been around for decades but was first truly investigated in this book. Although musicians share in this practice, it has recently become an overbearing issue in the fashion world. Kraeplin cites some examples of this practice as “sending white models down the runway, ala Marc Jacobs in 2016, to depicting Johnny Depp as Native American in a 2019 ad for Dior’s Sauvage perfume to Kim Kardashian naming her new shapewear brand “Kimono.”
The implication of these instances is that the industry as a whole has been labeled as culturally insensitive; a branding not to be taken lightly. The immense diversity in this world allows for the insights of a variety of individuals to contribute to ideas within the fashion realm; this predicament is quite easily avoidable.
Parsons School of Art and Design in New York City has both discussed and emphasized the importance of “considering multiple worldviews and hearing from all backgrounds in order to make a well-informed stylistic decision,” says a student there. Implementing a discussion about this issue into education is imperative to ensure that this does not continue as new generations enter the fashion industry. Her point is completely understandable and warranted, there should be enough people in any organization to recognize when a line has been crossed, when culture is no longer being celebrated, but is being exploited.
The student continues that “ There should be no excuse for this kind of behavior given garments go through multiple stages of the design process before approval. Cultural appropriation is the wrongdoing of key players in the fashion industry.” According to an article by the BBC, some of the most recent issues include model Gigi Hadid in dreads for Marc Jacobs, Gucci Models in Sikh-style turbans, and Victoria’s Secret angels is Native American headdresses. These are some of the most widely recognized names in fashion, yet they set a poor example for up-and-coming designers and models.
The Parson’s student cited a recent example that was especially harmful, when Gucci released a sweatshirt that resembled blackface. As a result of the backlash for the blatant racism and disregard for the African American race and culture, “the garment was taken down from their website and a statement of apology was released. Gucci has since worked to diversify their staff and hire advisors to help avoid problems like this moving forward. Also in efforts to correct their wrongdoing they have begun to work with Dapper Dan.” According to a biographical article by Business of Fashion, Dapper Dan is a Harlem designer, widely known as the “king of knock-offs.” The Gucci sweater in question was strikingly similar to a jacket he created for a 1989 Louis Vuitton show. By teaming up with him, Gucci created a “collection inspired by his archive, released a limited-edition book, “Dapper Dan’s Harlem” and made Dan the face of the #GucciTailoring campaign,” according to Business of Fashion.
Acclaim’s article regarding the issue touches on the fact that this has been a long-standing problem, one that the fashion industry does not intend to fix and rarely acknowledges. The article states that most recently, Chanel released a new item, a boomerang, priced at $2000. The issue lies in the fact that they appropriated the Aboriginal culture in the creation of this item, but more heinously, the price costs almost 10% of the average annual income of Indeginous Australians. This figure represents a blatant disregard for the struggles the culture faces, used to appropriate that very culture for an absurd profit.
Although it is important to recognize that this view of immense appropriation is not shared by all. In the same article by BBC detailing the examples of appropriation in fashion, it details what many believe is not appropriate at all, rather a celebration of a variety of cultures worldwide, attempting to highlight and embrace their fundamental ideals. Fashion is widely regarded as a conglomerate of differing ideas, cultures and concepts to create a new vision. Although this belief may hold true in some instances, a very clear line has been crossed, which has not been taken lightly by consumers, celebrities, and even designers.
One of the most integral issues of the cultural appropriation predicament is the involvement of big names in fashion, entertainment, and more praising and participation in such activities. When Kim Kardashian says she is releasing a line of shapewear, most of her 161 million followers will jump on the opportunity to share in one of her business ventures, regardless of the implications. The name “Kimono” clearly appropriates the Japanese culture, yet nobody in KKW Brands caught the issue, nor did the millions of fans that hopped on the opportunity to purchase one. It was so blatantly disrespectful that a Japanese mayor sent a letter to Kardashian, detailing the severe issues that stemmed from the name of the line. Although Kardashian recalled the name and rebranded it, it was the mere fact that something like this would slip through the thousands of minds of people working on the product, that it would be so blatantly disregarded by many. Had she not faced backlash or received that letter, would she have thought twice about the name? Simply put, history shows that she would not. It is that very fact that encompasses the issue of cultural appropriation within the fashion industry.
It is up to the leaders of the industry to enact a change regarding this phenomenon. It seems that the pattern is of young students or aspiring designers recognizing the issue. However, they do not yet have the platform or the voice to enact such a wide change. Of course, it is a generalization that all fashion moguls contribute to this issue, but the vast majority seem to have no issue with the ongoing appropriation of these special and important cultures. This pattern must change if the fashion industry wants to continue to have the remarkable impression that they seek to have on the world.
Tori Jennings 