Cultural Appropriation news and archive

Festival fashion takes a political turn as Wireless implements cultural sensitivity dress code

The summer music festival season, long a beacon of sartorial freedom and self-expression, is witnessing a significant shift as organizers grapple with issues of cultural appropriation. London's Wireless Festival, set to take place in Finsbury Park from 12 to 14 July, has introduced a dress code that eschews concerns of modesty in favour of...

Fashion

Romania faces down Vuitton for 'stealing' its beloved blouse

Vaideeni - Villagers in Vaideeni at the foot of Romania's Carpathian mountains are fuming at French luxury brand Louis Vuitton for "stealing" the design of their traditional blouse. Maria Gioanca, 69, one of two dozen women who still hand sew the black-and-white garment in the village, told AFP she "won't let the costume be stolen" for fancy...

Fashion Featured

Minnetonka redesigns iconic Thunderbird moccasin with Native American designer

On the eve of NYFW, heritage brand Minnetonka presented the biggest relaunch event in their 78-year history, unveiling the redesign of their iconic moccasin originally launched in 1953, the Thunderbird. Now renamed the ‘Animikii’ which means “Thunderbird” in Ojibwemowin, its beadwork was designed by Red Lake Nation Anishinaabeg citizen and...

Fashion Featured

Fashion and travel; a love story for the ages

The eye has to travel,” said the former Vogue editor and empress of fashion, Diana Vreeland. In 1966 she famously flew her team to a snowy Japanese mountain range along with fifteen trunks of clothes for five weeks to shoot model Veruschka dressed in fur for the magazine at a rumored cost of 1 million dollars. It was an unprecedented gesture...

Fashion

Ralph Lauren accused of appropriating Mexican Indigenous designs

The head of a Mexican cultural affairs commission and wife of the country's president on Thursday accused US fashion brand Ralph Lauren of plagiarizing Indigenous designs. "Hey Ralph: we already realized that you really like Mexican designs," Beatriz Gutierrez wrote on social media. "However, by copying these designs you're committing...

BusinessFeatured

Shein recalls plagiarized garment for which it was once again accused of cultural appropriation

Last week, the Chinese firm Shein was accused of plagiarism and cultural appropriation by the Mexican Ministry of Culture, because on the website of this fast fashion giant you could find a flowered blouse practically identical to a traditional huipil embroidered in 2017 by the handcrafted clothing brand YucaChulas, which was the first to...

Culture |BACKGROUND Featured

Cultural appropriation in fashion: what is it and can it be prevented?

Cultural appropriation: The term has been used more and more in recent years, but the practice of cultural appropriation has been around for much longer. Kunstmuseum Den Haag zooms in on the phenomenon in the new exhibition 'Global Wardrobe - the worldwide fashion connection', but the subject is also often discussed during talks about diversity...

Business

Major fashion brands accused of cultural appropriation in Mexico

Mexico has blasted major clothing brands Zara, Anthropologie and Patowl for using patterns and other elements of Mexican indigenous textiles in their collections without permission, the ministry of culture said Friday. The ministry has sent letters to the three labels asking them to publicly clarify on what grounds "the collective property" of...

Fashion Featured

Dior criticised of cultural appropriation, deletes ad campaign

Tone deaf Luxury brands coming under fire for cultural appropriation appears to be a regular occurrence in 2019. The latest controversy comes via Dior, who removed a Native American- inspired campaign for its Sauvage fragrance from its digital channels nearly as quickly as it was posted online. First announced on its Twitter account, Dior on...

Fashion

Kim Kardashian gets backlash for shapewear line with accusations of cultural appropriation

It’s been one day since fashion influencer and clothing entrepreneur Kim Kardashian launched her shapewear line, Kimono Solutionwear, and she’s already receiving backlash. Kardashian shared the launch of the shapewear line on her Instagram account, explaining the genesis of the line. However, in the caption of the announcement, she noted that “...

CultureFeatured

Cultural Appropriation could soon be Illegal

Representatives of over 180 different indigenous cultures recently called upon the United Nations (UN) to outlaw cultural appropriation in fashion at a meeting in Geneva. Should their calls be heard, the fashion industry will need to start thinking twice about its use of designs from around the world as it has traditionally been perceived as...

Fashion |OPINION Featured

Cultural Appropriation or Culturally Appropriate?

I was struck by the Valentino Spring/Summer 2016 ad campaign, photographed by National Geographic photojournalist Steve McCurry, set among the Maasai of Kenya’s Amboseli National Park. The Valentino team were apparently caught in a dust storm during shooting, but I wondered if a bigger storm wouldn’t descend on them when the campaign gained...