Fashion and Cultur(al appropriation)

A brief look at the issues surrounding high fashion and the use of cultures that aren't yours.

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What's More Diverse: Design Studios Or Their Runways?

Either way, they're both overwhelmingly white

This article looks at the racial breakdown of designers. Most research done on runways focuses on models, because those are the faces we see. This means that when we are discussing cultural appropriation in fashion, we only see part of the story. This article is revealing because it shows that while designers are more diverse, at the time of this article, white designers still made up 65%. While that number is not shocking, it puts into perspective why there is so little conversation about representation in fashion, since it is very hard to stand up to a majority in an industry as cutthroat as fashion.

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Position Statement Post

The issue of cultural appropriation in fashion is a complicated on because it is so much based on circumstance and opinion. Most designers do not see the use of foreign cultures as wrong or disrespectful, because they have been trained to constantly look for new and unique ideas. At the same time, there is a distinct lack of both models and designers of color, making it nearly impossible for there to be any real conversations about what needs to be done for the use of different cultures to be respectful.

The fashion industry, like many other pop culture industries, faces deep issues when looking at this problem, because for so long, this was simply how it was done. While that is not an excuse, it does put into context why so many designers seem shocked when their designs are critiqued. It is an industry that is built on creativity from any source, even when those sources are from a world that isn’t yours. This is a problem that is just starting to gain traction, so we should also look at it with an understanding eye and know that it will take time for changes to be made.   

In researching this issue, it becomes clear that it is much more complex than the immediate issues stated. It is not just a matter of the use and misuse of different culture, but also of the requirements for creativity and representation both on and off the runway. The only real way for a solution to be met is for the industry to begin to widen the range of designers and models, while at the same time having real and varied conversations about what it means to be creative and diverse. 

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Racism consists of both prejudice and discrimination based on the perceptions of biological differences between people. Racism since history has been a huge social issue and still continues to be one today as it is now a much more globalised affair.

This article looked at the concept of racism in the fashion industry and what those in the fashion industry consider to be “racist”. This was not done by examining what the word “racist” in a denotative fashion, but rather by doing a quantitive analysis of how often African American models were used on the cover of Vogue (the often agreed upon fashion Bible), and a qualitative analysis of the poses and outfits worn by those models of color who are photographed.

There were a few key findings. The first was that models are often placed within certain roles: women are made to be hyper-sexualized and shown in an animalistic and “tribal” style (such as animal print and bones), while men are made to look large and hyper-masculine. This is in clear alignment with Patricia Hill Collin’s article on Controlling Images. 

The research also found that those models who do manage to make it onto Vogue are very unlikely to earn a full page placement, and when they do are often tokenized by being the one person of color in a sea of white models. 

Finally, the reading points out that models are often made to look more white in their covers. They receive photoshop treatments and dye their hair in order to look more anglo, all the while losing the aspects that make them strong people of color. 

The article ends by discussing the Balance Diversity movement, which aims to have better representation for models of all colors. It also concludes by stating that many designers have claimed that they are aware of the problem of representation (or the lack thereof), and that they are working (and often, improving) for a better runway future. 

This article is important because it helps put into context what I have been saying about representation being necessary for better appropriation. If designers are going to be inspired and take from other cultures (as they should be for creative purposes), then they also need to make sure that there are real discussions happening around what good representation looks like, there have to be fair voices at the table and all the voices need to be equal. 

Moreover, we need to accept that there are many cultures that can be unfairly appropriated. This article focuses almost entirely on African American representation, but there are many other cultures that need to be represented. 

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I’ve mentioned before that it is my personal view that there is a way to do cultural appropriation in fashion in a fair and respectful way. In doing research, this designer was one who came up a lot. He is a good example of what it means to use a culture that is not your own in a way that is respectful and that benefits everyone involved. 

*The original video can be found at this link

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Runway Diversity Report Fall 2016 - theFashionSpot

The runway diversity report from the Fall 2016 season of Fashion Week shows slight improvements in inclusion on the runway, but not enough.

I think that it is important to discuss the breakdown in diversity of models when talking about cultural appropriation, because it helps put into context why this is such an issue. It is one thing to say that it is okay to share cultures when everyone is equally respected and every voice can be at the table. It is another thing when the statistics look as shockingly bad as they do here.

*It should be noted that these are statistics for the Fall 2016 season. This is because the most recent season is still in progress, with Paris Fashion Week, the last of the major Fashion Weeks, beginning October 1.

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Introduction Post

A few weeks ago I was scrolling through Instagram, when I uttered the phrase, “oh no, Marc, why!”. There she was, Kendall Jenner, part of the golden Kardashian clan, walking down the New York Fashion Week runway for the Marc Jacobs S/S17 wearing what appeared to be colored dreadlocks. 

This is just one example of an ongoing problem, one that is just starting to be talked about: cultural appropriation on the Fashion Week runway. It seems every six months the same issue arises: some designer takes a part of a culture that is not theirs and incorporates it into their (very white) show. 

Cultural appropriation is best described as “the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another”. This issue brings up a lot of controversy (just read through the first few hits on a google search of “cultural appropriation” and you’ll see). Is it really an issue? Is this not just one race admiring parts of the culture of another race? 

The real issue, at least in my view, comes not just from the action, but from the context and responses. When asked to comment on his dreadlock scandal, Marc Jacobs went on a Instagram caption rant in which he berated those who criticized his choice, instead saying that he “[doesn’t] see color or race- I see people”. In this response lies the biggest issue, which is that many of these designers fail to see these issues within a context outside of whiteness. Even worse is when this conversation is had about the appropriation of African American culture with a runway that is predominately white. 

The issue is complex to say the least. Cultural mingling is natural and necessary, and artists should have the right to create unique looks. That being said, it is important to understand how to respectfully borrow parts of culture and to make sure that all groups are equally represented.