Cultural Lines | Studio for Saint & Sofia
When does cultural appreciation overstep the mark and become appropriation?
We’ve been here before. We’ve scrolled through statements and open apologies. We’ve listened to vague promises to do better. And yet, just a couple of months into 2021, here we are again: with accusations of cultural appropriation being levied at a global brand by an indigenous designer. It’s no secret that the fashion industry still has a long way to go until it can plant both feet firmly upon a level and ethical playing field, but had we ever anticipated the journey to be this bumpy?
Shortly after womenswear brand Zimmermann had announced the arrival of its ‘21 collection of beach and swimwear on Twitter in January, the Australian luxury label was making waves across the globe for all the wrong reasons. The company’s social media accounts were promptly bombarded by a tide of negative criticism, flagging the embroidery and design of one of its panelled tunic dresses for cultural plagiarism. The summer mini in question (sporting short ruffled sleeves, and decorated with peacocks and floral motifs) was alleged to have been lifted without permission from Mexican artisans native to the Oaxaca region. With centuries of craftsmanship history, these patterns have appeared prominently on traditional costumes worn for local festivals and ceremonies - with every colour, trimming and cross-stitching a symbol of deep ancestral or cultural significance.
Barely 3 months prior, Mexico’s cultural minister Alejandra Frausto had requested a formal explanation from French designer Isabel Marant, after designs from her Spring-Summer show had unlawfully used elements of the Purepecha people, who hail from Mexico’s Michoacán State in the country’s southwest. Flip the calendar back yet another year, and this time the minister was calling out designer Carolina Herrera and fashion house Louis Vuitton for profiting once again off traditional native artisans. Whilst one wouldn’t be likely in leaping too quickly to the defence of these high fashion designers, many have used their platforms on social media to distance themselves from any unethical or irresponsible trade practices, equating any similarities in design to the fond admiration that they share for the traditional culture of minorities around the world. So where does one attempt to draw the line between paying tribute or homage to, and outright cultural theft or plagiarism?
This is precisely where the issue falls through the cracks and lands into a grey area of theoreticized debate. Isn’t art itself a form of cultural exchange, and hasn’t fashion always drawn historically from culture in some way or another? Well, to put it short, of course it has. But we can’t be against the industrial exploitation of supply chain workers, and yet see nothing wrong with the creative exploitation from profiting off indigenous cultures without the respectful acknowledgment or remuneration of those that we are ‘borrowing’ from.
Image courtesy of Jamie Gentry Designs
Dr Jane Tynan, Assistant Professor of Design History and Theory at VU Amsterdam goes one step further in suggesting that this advantageous culture of taking can be traced back to the West’s one-sided history of global economics under Colonialism. She argues that the acts of appropriation and exploitation have been normalized to the point that they have become so intrinsically difficult now to disentangle: “The problem is that cultural exchange within colonialism was always uneven, concerned as it was with cultural appropriation and exploitation, rather than fair exchange or dialogue”. She continues: “The movement to decolonize science, art, design and education involves struggle and conflict; we now see that playing out in debates about fashion in particular”.
But the legality of protecting and preserving these cultures has often proven strenuously difficult in the international arena. To date, there is no record of any labels or designers facing courtroom penalties for cultural appropriation or plagiarism. One key factor behind this is that most of these cases fall under the category of collective intellectual property; and as such are not protected by the copyright laws or industrial property laws that only seek to cover individuals. However, more recent claims of cultural insensitivity and foul play within high fashion have prompted local councilors and politicians to debate the existing amendments of copyright laws in order to greater protect the integrities of indigenous artists.
Shannon Brett, an Aboriginal artist behind Australian textiles manufacturer Lore, is of the belief that a level of accountability is imperative for major labels who ‘take’ from traditional cultural design. She says that a lack of transparency around design ideas and concepts have negative impacts upon both the designer and consumer: “Indigenous artists (like all true artists) put their heart and soul into their ideas and their creations. It is exhausting to witness plagiarism of indigenous design - especially when it’s of your own work”.
The creative force behind Jamie Gentry Designs echoes this sentiment. A proud descendent of the Kwakwaka’wakw nation in British Columbia, Jamie’s custom made moccasins are cut, beaded and sewn to order with the individual in mind. She is passionate in her belief that whilst shopping for authentically made indigenous products helps support both the artist and the community at a grassroots level, it’s also an opportunity to educate and connect: “Appropriation turns culture into a trend, and devalues the true meaning behind our art forms”
Whilst labels continue to embrace blogging, e-commerce and social media branding in order to boost their profile and widen their trajectory, the changing dynamic has amplified the voice of the everyday consumer like never before. All of a sudden, regional borders have become mostly irrelevant; and the exchange of opinions and ideas is no longer restricted to the old hierarchies once enjoyed by fashion and magazine executives. Smartphones now serve as modern-day billboards, showrooms and catwalks - with brands being able to launch their campaigns to a global audience at the push of a button. But the flipside to the coin is that labels are being held accountable for their actions in a way that could literally sink them overnight. And whilst local parliamentarians debate on whether or not to roll out more red tape on the issue of appropriation and cultural plagiarism, social media has become the new courtroom: where trials play out across the world at blinding speed, with the public taking on the role as judge and jury...and in some cases, even executioner.
Image courtesy of Shannon Brett for Lore
“We have seen a big shift in the industry in terms of transparency, purpose and intentions” says Sianna Catullo, Head of Brand and Marketing for Australian indigenous label Clothing the Gap: “Consumers are now looking for this. During the pandemic, whilst a lot of clothing brands struggled, brands with purpose - such as social enterprises thrived”.
London stylists Kolade Ladipo and Josh Gilzeane appear to share the belief that appropriation of any culture stems from a tendency to devalue the cultures and traditions of others. Kolade suggests that more diversity and representation within the industry can only help brands to navigate more confidently through the creative exchange of culture and ideas: “So long as brands have the right people working beside them, then being sensitive to the cultures of minorities shouldn’t stifle creativity, but rather enhance it”. Josh goes on to iterate this notion, adding that in order for positive change, the industry needs to do its homework: “I believe the only way cultural exchange can take place in a respectable way is by western designers doing the correct research into the different cultural backgrounds and diasporas of minority groups of people”. So what does all this spell for the future of design within the industry, and can there ever be a fair or respectful manner in which the west can derive influence from other cultures without being exploitive?
For the most part, Dr Tynan seems to think that the issue is not beyond a resolution. Yet, as it stands she is dubious that the industry will take the necessary time to educate and learn from the mistakes of the past unless real changes are implemented from the top-down: “The pace of the industry in its current form mitigates against deep research and meaningful dialogue with people from indigenous cultures, making it difficult for designers to do the cultural work that they might want to do”. But as high fashion labels like Zimmermann are finding out, the ramifications of not investing in serious cultural groundwork only serve to hurt the brand image as well as the pocket. Not to mention that restoring the consumer’s trust again can be a precarious and rickety bridge back. That being said, what the industry is in need of are brands that encourage and not shy away from dialogue or debate...those that possess a willingness to learn and grow from constructive criticism...and those who seek to reciprocate a fair and respectful exchange with the cultures they take inspiration from.
This article and interview was written exclusively for Saint and Sofia’s Studio Magazine.
