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CULTURAL APPROPRIATION AND DIVERSITY IN FASHION POLL FINDINGS

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CULTURAL APPROPIATION SURVEY:INTERVIEW 2 

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CULTURAL APPROPIATION SURVEY:INTERVIEW 1 

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Representation

Intersectionality

Authenticity

Progressive and forward-thinking content

Community and collaboration

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Authenticity

Visual Impact

Youth Empowerment

Subcultural Exploration

Social Awareness

Digital Presence

Collaborations and Crossovers

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Cutting-edge and avant-garde

Youth culture representation

Intersectional and inclusive

Fashion-forward and trendsetting

Digital-savvy and multimedia approach

Progressive and socially conscious

Collaborations with influential artists and cultural icons

Embracing subcultures and niche interests

Empowering individuality and self-expression

Forward-thinking and future-oriented

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Iconic and prestigious brand

High fashion and trendsetting

Celebrity culture and influencers

Visual storytelling and aesthetics

Global perspective

Digital presence and multimedia content

Inclusive representation

Social consciousness and activism

Industry insights and career inspiration

Lifestyle and culture coverage

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Relevance and timeliness

Social justice and activism

Diverse perspectives

Engaging storytelling

Digital presence and interactivity

Youth-focused content

Thought leadership and expert analysis

Global perspective

Career and personal development

Legacy and credibility

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London Fashion Week starts today, so we're taking the chance to shine a light on our favourite independent fashion magazines. We pulled together a similar roundup last year, and it remains one of the most read articles on the Stack blog, but this time we're switching our focus to the titles that are disrupting style and fashion with inventive and refreshing perspectives. Scroll through our selection below to see for yourself...

We were excited to send out this Montreal-based oddity on Sampler last month, because we love its strange and inventive view of the world. Pairing young talents like Sophie Andes Gascon and Marie Yat with longstanding cult labels like Maison Margiela and Calvin Klein, their fashion stories are always surprising, and look like a lot of fun to produce. They also source from iconic vintage stores like NYC's Screaming Mimis and Cherry Vintage, shifting the focus away from those big labels.

Started as the graduation project of a Central Saint Martins student, Marfa Journal's hardback magazine can now be found in bookstores all over the world. The name was inspired by a trip to Marfa, Texas, when founder Alexandra Gordienko embarked on a road trip with her friend to the desert hub of contemporary art. As she tells Dazed, the magazine became a way for them to befriend people they've stalked for years - the result completely embodies this daring, exciting energy.

The bi-annual synonymous with imaginative, surrealist editorial is now in its 14th issue. Founded by Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari, Toilet Paper takes very ordinary objects (and often parts of an object, like a single finger or a bulging eye) and appropriates them into their weird, fantastical world. Provocative, satirical and incredibly funny, it has proved itself, time and time again, as the leading publication in innovative editorial perspectives.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, 15-year-old Elise By Olsen started Recens Paper with the aim to provide her peers with an antidote to the oppressive perfectionism in mainstream media. The Oslo-based publication is a youth culture magazine for readers who are part of a generation that "will not be limited to gender binaries or accept the obligations of commercialism." In Latin, Recens means 'new thinking' and 'young', and you can expect nothing less than invigorating from this publication.

Mushpit has become renowned for its sharp, satirical wit, and that's as important in their fashion shoots as it is in their editorials lambasting payday loans, imploding politics and exorbitant rents. From wardrobe webcam photoshoots (below, titled 'Trapped in the Closet' after the R. Kelly hip-hop musical) to expensive handbags shot in bathrooms then adorned with Comic Sans, it injects some humour into an often overly serious industry.

This is a Milan-based magazine showcasing the most exciting photographers, stylists and designers. Each issue weighs close to a kilo, and the pages are packed with visionary editorial narratives that don't shy away from the weird, the obscure and the surreal. We love this shoot below by Christto & Andrew, aptly featuring the label Kenzo, whose iconic 'eye' and 'hand' designs drip with absurd surrealism.

Polyester is a feminist fashion and culture publication aiming to "bridge the gap of URL cyberfeminism with the IRL world." Editor-in-chief Ione Gamble started the magazine as a response to the frustration she felt with the representation of fourth wave feminism and favouritism towards minimalism in the mainstream. You'll fall in love with their extravagant, excessive and absolutely fabulous fashion narratives.

We sent this magazine out to Stack subscribers in April last year. Showcasing the best of analogue fashion photography, it has a strict no beauty-retouching policy. The magazine also promises not to show material that can be seen elsewhere, so be prepared to have your eyes peeled wide open and immerse yourself in their exciting approach to fashion.

This Hong Kong-based, tongue-in-cheek title wants to upend readers of regular fashion magazines (in the friendliest, funniest way, of course). Featuring interviews and stories with iconic designers like Gasius, Perks and Mini, and Rick Owens (and his wife and muse Michèle Lamy), their issues are themed around body parts - we've seen the bum, the hair, the mouth and the hand... what will be next?

Œ magazine was included in last year's fashion magazines roundup, and we want to mention them again. As a platform for the fashion talent coming out of Germany, and in particular, Berlin, it's bold and experimental, and refrains from describing trends to focus on showing individual talent instead. Like all the magazines above, you really have to hold it in your hands to appreciate the thought and beauty that goes into it.

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Like our selection? Sign up to Stack from £6 a month and we'll send you the best independent magazines every month

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10 independent fashion magazines everyone should read - STACK magazines

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London Fashion Week starts today, so we're taking the chance to shine a light on our favourite independent fashion magazines. We pulled together a similar roundup last year, and it remains one of the most read articles on the Stack blog, but this time we're switching our focus to the titles that are disrupting style and fashion with inventive and refreshing perspectives.

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In 1991, two wide-eyed students started a small zine called Dazed & Confused, determined to rebel against what they perceived to be a "synthetic leisure culture developing". From their humble beginnings in the London College of Printing's student union cafe, Jefferson Hack and Rankin Waddell likely didn't envisage what Dazed & Confused would become, but they didn't have a business plan or fancy decks, just the naivety and arrogance of youth and a resolute desire to say something.

Dazed is celebrating its 30th birthday and it's true that lots has changed since the heady days of early 90s London - Dazed is now published in Korea and China and has readers all over the world. But it's always stayed independent, and continued to celebrate independent publishing.

As part of Dazed Live, our two day festival held at 180 The Strand, we've paid tribute to global zine culture and independent magazines by opening a Dazed Newsagents at Reference Point on Arundel Street, right next to the Dazed offices. Reference Point is a library and shop with an ever growing collection of rare books from design, art and culture, with an ambition to democratise art and literature, by making this special cultural ephemera open to everyone rather than hidden away in archives.

Inspired by the spirit of Soho's sadly-now-closed magazine mecca Wardour News, Dazed Newsagents will be selling copies of indie mags and zines from across the world. There's cult snarks and fashion pisstakers , and , a mag championing underrepresented womxn and non-binary folk from the WANASA region and diaspora, as well as hardcore punk zine and mixtape label Fanfare.

These mags will be available at Reference Point from October 9, and available until they're sold out. Head down to see some of the best independent publishing of the 2020s and check out a list of everything that's going to be there below. All the money from any magazines sold will go to UK youth homeless charity Centrepoint.

8 BALL

8-Ball Community is a New York City-based artist collective that operates a zine library, online radio station, and online public-access television station. 8-Ball was formed in 2012 by a group of friends looking to help keep a billiard hall from going out of business in gentrified East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They hosted film screenings, readings, performances, parties, and other events at the request of Grand Billiards' owner, who wanted to attract the neighborhood's new residents to his pool hall. These events included a zine fair, in which local artists and publishers were invited to sell their wares on pool tables.

From 2013 to 2014, 8-Ball displayed zines and hosted dozens of events at an abandoned newsstand in the Metropolitan Avenue/Lorimer Street station of the New York City Subway. The Newsstand was rebuilt in 2015 as an installation at the Museum of Modern Art, which purchased it for the permanent collection and later exhibited it in Paris at Fondation Louis-Vuitton.

AZEEMA

Jameela Elfaki, Sunayah Arshad, Nooriyah Qais, Evar Hussayni, Ella Lucia and Shayma Bakht are , a London-based print publication, digital platform, and now a creative agency telling the stories of women within the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, and the diaspora. What's crucial to them is their community, and how those within it are represented, which they do through unique, elevated shoots and region-specific storytelling.

BELLISSIMO

London-based Italian photographers Paolo Zerbini and Ivan Ruberto launched Bellissimo in 2019, a magazine that Zerbini says is "a photographic project to elevate everyday situations and everyday characters that are actually outstanding for a reason or another. These people catch our eyes - they are the protagonists of our photographic project." They describe Bellissimo as being about photography first and foremost, translated into an editorial form. Magazine obsessives, they reference constantly - the first issue of Bellissimo was inspired by luxury travel magazines, the second was a send up of fashion publications. "You could see Bellissimo as a tribute band," says Zerbini. "And once we understand the kind of music that we're gonna play for that evening, all of the different good tracks of that era will come popping up."

BUFFALO ZINE

Buffalo is one of the best mags in the world. "Serious fashion mags are over," reads its tagline on its site (words first said in Dazed) and its latest issue Buffalo Viral takes the sprawling online ephemera of the 2010s and dumps it all over its pages. Over the years it's constantly referenced and taken the piss out of the fashion world, while firmly establishing itself as a key presence within it. It's intelligent, naughty, anarchic - all the good stuff.

CLOBBER ZINE

Clobber was founded by Paul Toner, with the ambition to speak to young, working-class men who are into Gucci and Prada but don't want to be lectured to about fashion in the London-centric industry-facing manner that has infected many publications. Toner told Liverpool fashion retailer Sevenstore that "it's a top-notch menswear magazine which touches on fashion, music, art and politics, too. It takes an upfront approach to telling authentic stories, inspired by the likes of Sleazenation and The Face in the 1990s. Clobber Zine spotlights emerging talent through an outer-London perspective, and doesn't take itself too seriously in doing so. If you're looking for philosophical journalism, I don't think you've come to the right place."

CHATEAU INTERNATIONAL

Chateau International is an independent arts publishing platform producing books, zines and editions in collaboration with artists, writers, designers, educators and galleries. Recent and upcoming releases include Dope and Diamonds: A Lana Del Rey Reader (2019) edited with Billie Muraben, IMPRINTS (2020) by Ben K. Voss and Midge Wattles, MJKVDL 2021 (2021) by Rick Pushinsky and Mark Jan Krayenhoff van de Leur, and TINA: There Is No Alternative by Navine G. Khan-Dossos.

Chateau International publications are short-run and produced on modest budgets. Production incorporates both economic, on-demand print and binding methods with specialist and labour-intensive processes such as foil blocking and screen printing to produce publications that are beautiful, urgent, yet affordable. Whilst prioritising female and non-binary artists and writers, Chateau International works with a range of international collaborators who share its interests in the counterculture, fashion, feminism, radical politics, community organising and practices of photography. Chateau International is run by writer and editor Lillian Wilkie.

FAG MAG

Bailey Slater's Fag Mag is a joyous ode to Y2K culture, and Slater described it to 10 Magazine as "controlled, sexy chaos...a noughties nosh-off zine created for the gays AND the girls". It gleefully references the batshit landscape of British pop culture in the 2000s, from the Sugababes to Celebrity Big Brother. Slater says:"I wanted to create something that I'd not really seen before; an explicitly queer title marketed towards internet-minded teenagers that love pop culture, music and fashion."

FANFARE

Fanfare is a mixtape label and publisher based in the United Kingdom, split between London and Newcastle. It was founded by Ben Goulder of Snöar Press and Mark Buchanan of Meanwhile Press. Fanfare was created after a decade of collaborations born from touring in hardcore punk bands, resulting in the curation of art exhibitions and collaborative book releases which exhibited at the Tate Modern, London; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; amongst others. Fanfare releases limited edition mixtapes on cassette by artists who also produce the artwork for their mixtape. The approach is more akin to an artist book rather than a musical release.

FORMER HEAD QUARTERS

Former Headquarters is a new publishing imprint by Leeds based artist Sam Hutchinson. Established in 2021, FHQ publishes photography and artist books, alongside limited artist editions and ephemera. 'Formal Mourning' FHQ#01 is the first release, printed in May 2021, and is sold in Village (Leeds) and Tenderbooks (London).

GAL-DEM

gal-dem is an award winning, Black-owned media company committed to sharing the perspectives of women and non-binary people of colour. Gal-dem addresses inequality and misrepresentation in the industry through platforming the creative and editorial work of young women and non-binary people of colour across fashion, lifestyle, politics, music, arts, and opinion.

HAMBURGER EYES

Hamburger Eyes is a black and white photography magazine that's been publishing since 2001. Over the past 20 years, Hamburger Eyes has developed its own signature brand of photography and provided an outlet for both upcoming and established photographers worldwide. Hamburger Eyes is based in California and has published over 200 titles of zines, magazines, and books.

LAW

LAW is a UK street mag that documents the country's "youth of today with grit in their teeth" and finds beauty in its banality. Founder John Joseph Holt told The Face, "I wanted to make something that people could relate to, in stark contrast to the fashion magazines that were around at the time, something which would show Britain in a beautiful, positive, united light." LAW is a snapshot of a Britain rarely found on the pages of contemporary magazines, and throughout its issues has archived a distinct aesthetic and attitude that's true to this increasingly strange little island.

LOUCHE

Louche is a joyfully anarchic and independent occasional print magazine about drag and queer performance. It aims to celebrate, interrogate, and create a living archive of drag today, as well as pay hom(o)age to the varied histories and influences of the drag past.

NEW WAVE

New Wave is a London-based independent platform bridging the gap between established and emerging creatives. It provides a space for creatives to be recognised and express their thoughts across fashion, music, art, photography, architecture, design and more.

As a digital magazine and print publication, it shares information on all the denominations of creativity with quality and passion. The print issue is released annually and features some of the best rising talent from across the globe.

WALLET

When Elise By Olsen founded Recens Paper at the age of 13, she became the world's youngest editor-in-chief. Aged 18, she stepped away feeling "too old" and launched pocket-sized publication Wallet, telling Dazed as the first issue came out that "Fashion journalism has been in an un-ideal state for a while," and that she "intends to recreate a new conscious through questioning and quizzing the people in power in fashion now."

Each issue of Wallet since has featured major players in fashion, with every instalment carefully themed, whether that's around power, technology, or figures in fashion that haven't received enough recognition for their groundbreaking work. After ten issues, Wallet stopped publishing, and last year Olsen launched the International Library of Fashion Research, a digital resource featuring 5,000-plus pieces of contemporary books and magazines.

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21 essential independent magazines to bag at Dazed Newsagents

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From grassroots arts zines based in NYC to publications elevating the stories of women in the Middle East, get down to the Dazed Newsagents at Reference Point for a curated selection of the most exciting mags right now

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Kardashian Kopies: Times the Kardashians Stole from Black Creators

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What Defines Cultural Appropriation? | i-D

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The Fabric of Cultural Appropriation in Fashion

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"Since this past spring – with the growing momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement – many industries have faced increased pressure from consumers to step up their practices and provide clear insight into their policies regarding DEI. Fashion has been one of the businesses with a big target on its back."

"As a result, in recent months, the fashion industry has ramped up its efforts to rethink its approach to DEI. "

"Industry organizations to increase DEI have been formed and major fashion houses and retailers have pledged their support."

"Diversity is also good business. According to McKinsey & Company’s 2018 study Delivering through Diversity, there exists a clear correlation between DEI and performance"

"McKinsey attributed this relationship between diversity and performance to factors such as improved access to talent, enhanced decision making, depth of consumer insight and strengthened employee engagement.

"for those companies where morality or profitability alone might not be reasons compelling enough to embrace DEI, there is an additional incentive for them to consider it important: consumer demand."

What needs to change?

"Internal Action: Leadership, Decision Making & Education"

"External Footprint: Contractors, Suppliers and Vendors"

"Corporate Action"

"Transparency is critical"

"Independent Organizations"

" Consumers: Guardians of Diversity"

"Improving DEI in fashion will not be easy; it will take time, money and the support of many. However, those companies that hunker down and commit to effecting long lasting change will reap significant rewards. They will win the hearts of consumers and employees alike. They will produce better products and higher profits. And, perhaps most important, they will be doing the right thing for their business and the world."

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It is remarkable how little we know about the items we buy and use in our everyday lives. Providing product transparency as part of the sacred covenant between brands and shoppers is a relatively new convention. And while clarity into the facts surrounding a purchase has improved, it has been slow going with much to accomplish still.

For example, it wasn´t until the 1990s that food companies in the US were required to provide standardized nutritional information on the external packaging of their products - and this only came after years of consumer clamoring for a basic level of insight about the things we put into our bodies.

So when it comes to knowing the details of the clothing we put on our bodies, we are unsurprisingly still very much in the dark. US law requires brands to provide rudimentary product information, such as fiber content and country of origin. Of course, this labeling tells us nothing about how our clothing was made or the impact these items have on the world around us.

However, with the advent of the global sustainability movement, consumer consciousness about the environmental toll of the fashion industry has taken on new meaning and momentum. As such, in recent years, shoppers have started demanding more insight into the garments that make up this $2.5 trillion annual global business.

Progress has been made. Nearly a decade ago, Everlane launched with the promise of providing radical transparency into its process and product. Although issues surrounding the company's culture have been questioned in recent months, its promise helped move the industry towards more transparency. Other fashion businesses followed suit, offering increased clarity regarding the conditions of their factories and the environmental impact of their fabrics. Fast forward to today where a variety of brands - including titans like Ralph Lauren - offer QR codes or similar tracking numbers to allow customers to learn the history behind individual garments. Blockchain-based software - such as Provenance, Monochain and Truepic - facilitate supply chain transparency and verification, while the app "Good On You" ranks fashion companies based upon their eco-friendliness, labor practices and treatment of animals. Various industry certifications are now available to verify ethical business practices and the environmental impact of fabrics. While the road ahead is long, fashion has taken its first big steps towards embracing transparency and sustainability.

However, one aspect of this evolution of consciousness has remained woefully neglected: fashion's relationship with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). After all, a truly sustainable industry is one made up of different people of varied backgrounds where there is transparency into that representation all along the value chain and up and down the org chart.

Since this past spring - with the growing momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement - many industries have faced increased pressure from consumers to step up their practices and provide clear insight into their policies regarding DEI. Fashion has been one of the businesses with a big target on its back. In the wake of the protests following the death of George Floyd, fashion lovers have called out the industry for failing to fight racism and embrace representation.

As a result, in recent months, the fashion industry has ramped up its efforts to rethink its approach to DEI. Perhaps Anna Wintour - editor-in-chief of Vogue, artistic director of Condé Nast and a cornerstone of the industry for decades - best personified this industry reckoning in her statement on the topic recently reported by the New York Times, "Undoubtedly, I have made mistakes along the way, and if any mistakes were made under my watch, they are mine to own and remedy and I am committed to doing the work."

And progress has been made here as well. This year's September issues published by fashion magazines featured diverse talent more prominently than ever before. Industry organizations to increase DEI have been formed and major fashion houses and retailers have pledged their support. Large fashion companies have committed to promoting diversity and inclusion like never before, including hiring consultants to help get them there.

So the question is now: what comes next? Will the fashion industry maintain this momentum towards DEI? Have recent events produced lasting change within the industry? If yes, how will this paradigm shift be maintained? And who will monitor it and hold the industry accountable?
The Case For Diversity
Intuitively many of us know that diversity matters. Fostering a diverse and inclusive environment is part of our responsibility as good people, citizens and leaders.

But many of us do not realize that diversity is also good business. According to McKinsey & Company's 2018 study Delivering through Diversity, there exists a clear correlation between DEI and performance: companies with the most ethically and culturally varied executive teams are 33% more likely to outperform homogeneous competitors with regard to profitability. McKinsey attributed this relationship between diversity and performance to factors such as improved access to talent, enhanced decision making, depth of consumer insight and strengthened employee engagement.

Frans Johansson, author of The Medici Effect and a consultant to multinationals such as Nike, Under Armour, Disney, ESPN and Google on DEI, agrees: "The increased performance enhancement diversity lends to a company is the most sustainable long-term factor likely to encourage companies to increase representation."

But for those companies where morality or profitability alone might not be reasons compelling enough to embrace DEI, there is an additional incentive for them to consider it important: consumer demand.

"In my 15 year career of advising companies on diversity, my only two clients in the fashion space were Nike and Under Armour. That changed this past summer when multiple major fashion companies knocked on my door, scrambling to make the changes being demanded by their consumers," recalls Johansson, who believes this time around, things are different: "Consumer pressure isn't going away. People are looking at ninety day and six month markers [of progress]. Condé Nast was hit in June. And the company will be held accountable again soon if it doesn't address the underlying issues."
What Needs To Change?
Whether driven by ramped-up consumer pressure, enhanced business performance or simply doing the right thing, what are the key issues related to DEI that companies need to address? And how can these problems be solved?

According to Johansson, one common pitfall for companies is how well diversity is imbued within its leadership: "A company's senior management enacts policies to create awareness and change within its corporate culture," states Johansson. "So diversity has to be embraced at the top for it to be embraced throughout the rank and file."

· Internal Action: Leadership, Decision Making & Education

Complicating this issue is the fact that power within the fashion industry still largely rests in the hands of white male executives and board members - a reality some have set out to change.

Guy Primus, CEO of Valence, a community of approximately 12,000 black professionals, is a co-founder of the The Board Challenge, an organization that has sought commitments from US corporate boards of directors to add at least one black director within the next year.

Primus emphasizes that true decision-making authority at companies is often relegated to a few "C level" executives, including the salient "creative genius" role of Head Designer or Creative Director. Explains Primus: "There are certain positions that always hold power, such as the CEO and CFO, and maybe the COO, CMO and Creative Director. However, beyond those roles, it is easy to give an executive a title that sounds senior and empowered but - in reality - doesn't hold any real authority."

Hence Primus' focus on increasing DEI within companies' boards of directors: "[The board] is the one place power doesn't hide or pretend. It tells an observer almost everything that is needed to be known about the company." The Board Challenge's goal of increasing representation on boards, Primus notes, is driven by the how bad the situation is today. "187 of Fortune 500 companies do not have a black board member," states Primus, "and if you look at the Russell 3000 - which represents 98% of US incorporated equity securities - only 4% of these companies' board members are black."

Johansson agrees with the importance of having diverse board members and senior executives but urges his clients to take it a step further: to improve DEI at the employee "team level." "Work within most companies gets done at a team level," offers Johansson. "The more diverse the team, the better the results. We believe companies achieve more innovation and better performance with inclusive teams that tap into the perspectives of all of its members to determine priorities. Diverse employee teams ensure that diversity and inclusion are sewn into the very fabric of the company."

In addition to adding DEI into leadership positions and employee teams, companies can improve DEI through additional actions, including requiring unconscious bias training among employees, fostering communication and feedback among employees (without the fear of retaliation) and mandating diversity among the key people representing the company externally.

· External Footprint: Contractors, Suppliers and Vendors

In addition to improving DEI internally, it is important for fashion companies to focus on how they embrace it outside of the office walls, including with regard to the companies they choose as their contractors, suppliers, vendors and partners - and how these entities size up with (or against) diversity.

For example, the processes fashion manufacturers apply in making their goods often have disproportionate impact on the communities around them. People of color are more likely to be impacted by poor labor practices and any negative environmental effects related to fabric mills and clothing manufacturers. This is a critical issue for the industry to address from both a sustainability and diversity standpoint.

Moreover, major fashion magazines and brands assert significant cultural influence when choosing the models they feature in their publications and campaigns. It is incumbent upon these companies to support diversity through their selection of models as well as the talent they showcase.

Finally, fashion retailers - through their merchandising selection and marketing support - can significantly influence which fashion brands are likely to be successful. It is important that these companies support brands owned by people of color so that diversity within ownership and product is helped to flourish.

A propos of supporting black owned businesses, Aurora James, founder and creative director of the accessories label Brother Vellies, created the "15 Percent Pledge" to improve the diversity practices of major fashion and beauty retailers vis-à-vis their merchandise selection. "Black people represent approximately 15% of the population of America so major retailers should be hitting 15% products from black-owned businesses on their shelves," notes James. "When I started The Pledge, I knew the problem was big. I expected that around 7 to 8% of products were represented by black-owned businesses. The reality is that less than 1% of products stocked by most major retailers are from black-owned businesses." Since Aurora launched the non-profit in June, a number of high profile companies have taken The Pledge, including Vogue US, Sephora, Rent The Runway, West Elm, and Yelp.
Maintaining Change: Measurement, Transparency, Accountability
· Corporate Action

Equally as important for a company to ask, "what needs to change and how?" is "how do we measure change and make it stick?"

The answer lies with data: companies that want to improve DEI need to apply quantitative tools to track the baseline they are starting from and the target they are moving towards.

Key DEI metrics to monitor include the proportion of minorities in key leadership positions, minority representation on the board of directors and the proportion of partners - i.e. contractors, suppliers and vendors - owned by minorities.

A company's performance against these metrics needs to be owned by leadership and measured on a regular basis where real implications exist for any failure to achieve DEI goals, i.e. bonuses are at least partially tied to DEI goal compliance.

Moreover, transparency is critical: companies should consider providing to its workforce and the public visibility into their key DEI objectives and progress towards meeting them, since this kind of insight is becoming increasingly important to employees and consumers alike.

Finally, while tabulating and measuring diversity goals is critical, it is important for companies to realize that quantitative metrics alone do not tell the full story. DEI needs to embraced by companies it in myriad qualitative ways - from the breadth of music that is playing in the lobby to the selection of food being served in the cafeteria. Numbers are important but they are only guard rails against inaction; DEI needs to be built into the foundation of the organization, from the top down and the bottom up.

· Independent Organizations

Fashion industry "watch dog" organizations are likely to play an increasingly important role in supporting diversity goals and providing accountability.

One such organization is the Black in Fashion Coalition (BIFC), formed in June by Lindsay Peoples Wagner and Sandrine Charles, two industry veterans, to advance black fashion.

BIFC works with approximately 100 fashion brands to advise them on improving their DEI performance. By June 2021, BIFC will provide an annual index gauging black employee representation and other DEI metrics among fashion companies Although the 2021 results will be published on a cumulative basis across brands, companies participating in the index will be required to publish their individual numbers by 2022.

Similarly, the 15 Percent Pledge provides DEI resources and support to participating retailers. However, James notes that The Pledge will only work with companies that demonstrate a genuine commitment to achieve the 15% benchmark. "We will do quarterly check-ins with companies and provide them with resources," explains James. "It is important to match the retailers with brands where there will be a good fit for both parties to ensure mutual success." Companies that take The Pledge receive a seal for their participation. Accountability is monitored; companies that continually underperform will have their seal revoked.

Like the others, The Board Challenge's co-founders believe in the power of follow-up and follow through: Primus and team check in with their Founding Pledge Partners during the first six months and again at twelve months to evaluate their progress with adding a black director to the board.

The efforts of these organizations are primarily focused on larger companies where the impact of change can be the most pronounced and far-reaching. However, it is important for smaller and earlier stage companies to get ahead of DEI and build cultures based upon diversity and inclusiveness as they plan for growth.

· Consumers: Guardians of Diversity

In the end, it will be up to consumers - and their collective purchasing power - to approve or disapprove of a fashion company's policy towards DEI. The events of the past few months indicate a growing enthusiasm among consumers for diversity within the fashion space. To what extent this consumer appetite for change sustains remains to be seen.

But one thing is clear: to date, consumers have largely lacked access to the transparency required to judge fashion companies fairly of their policies towards DEI.

As such, herein lies an opportunity for fashion companies to stand out by increasing visibility about the policies and actions they are taking to support diversity. Similarly, there exists the opportunity for new businesses to be formed that specifically assess and track fashion brands on DEI and provide verification tools supporting diversity initiatives.
A Defining Moment For The Industry
This is a watershed moment for fashion. With the momentum of change over recent months, the industry has the opportunity - and need - to embrace diversity like never before.

Peoples Wagner summarizes the importance of seizing upon this moment to enact systematic change: "One of the biggest things we've said to companies is, 'this is not a moment for a "check the box" effort.' Diversity is a movement. It's something you have to commit to in every single way for years to come. Consumers are taking notice of brands that simply posted the black square or a quote but then haven't done anything else. The changes we are working on with companies are systematic - not just surface level [quick fixes]."

For fashion companies, diversity can no longer be a side project or a "nice to have" line on the masthead or balance sheet. It needs to be core and central to every business decision.

To be clear, improving DEI in fashion will not be easy; it will take time, money and the support of many. However, those companies that hunker down and commit to effecting long lasting change will reap significant rewards. They will win the hearts of consumers and employees alike. They will produce better products and higher profits. And, perhaps most important, they will be doing the right thing for their business and the world.

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The Time Is Now For Diversity In Fashion

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One aspect of the evolution of consumer consciousness has remained woefully neglected: fashion's relationship with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). After all, a truly sustainable industry is one made up of people of varied backgrounds and where there is transparency into that representation.

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"Historically, the fashion world hasn’t led the best example in terms of diversity and inclusion. It was quite common to see only a specific type of body shape and skin colour being featured on runways and in fashion magazines."

"The fashion world needs to ramp up its focus on diversity and inclusion to broaden its perspectives and increase the size of its talent pool."

"To give credit where it’s due, the fashion industry has been making gradual progress, but there is still a long way to go."

"Fashion inclusivity isn’t restricted to just garment designs in 2022. It also includes ensuring people of all races and those with special abilities get a seat at the table and are valued for their contributions."

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In a time where diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) has become a focus area for big corporations across different industries, the fashion world is struggling to catch up.

Historically, the fashion world hasn't led the best example in terms of diversity and inclusion. It was quite common to see only a specific type of body shape and skin colour being featured on runways and in fashion magazines.

The situation's slowly improving, but there's still a lot to do in terms of inclusive fashion .

The fashion world needs to ramp up its focus on diversity and inclusion to broaden its perspectives and increase the size of its talent pool.

Let's do a deep dive into the state of inclusivity in fashion and whether we have reason enough to be hopeful in 2022.
How has the fashion world fared on inclusivity till now?
Despite regular calls for inclusion and growing awareness about DEI trends, the fashion world has had its fair share of slip-ups.

For instance, Gucci featured a black turtleneck with a bold red opening for the mouth among its designs in 2018. While the brand claimed that the piece was inspired by a vintage ski mask, it horrifyingly resembled the racist practice of blackface.

To give credit where it's due, the fashion industry has been making gradual progress, but there is still a long way to go.

According to a research study by McKinsey, every two in three African-origin employees reported having faced increased pressure to perform because they were the only minority in their group.

The study also disturbingly reported that employees of colour were still being judged using higher standards compared to other employees.
What is fashion inclusivity in 2022?
Before you make a fashion brand inclusive, you need to understand the concept of fashion inclusivity first.

Simply put, inclusive fashion includes clothes that are for everyone irrespective of their body shape, size, ethnicity and gender. Genuine fashion inclusion involves creating aesthetically pleasing clothes that allow everyone to feel seen and heard, including those with disabilities.

Fashion inclusivity isn't restricted to just garment designs in 2022. It also includes ensuring people of all races and those with special abilities get a seat at the table and are valued for their contributions.

Important considerations for becoming an inclusive fashion brand

With so many body sizes, races, and groups of people to consider, it can be tougher than it seems to create a truly inclusive fashion brand.

Here are some important questions to consider while working on inclusivity and diversity for a fashion brand.

1. Is there enough diversity in the company's C-suite and senior management

2. Is the senior management doing enough to be an ethical and sustainable brand?

3. Does the brand's recruitment process encourage diverse hires and applicants?

4. Is the company culture based on the celebration of differences among the employees? Or does the brand try to mold its employees into a series of pre-decided checkboxes?

How can a fashion brand be more inclusive in 2022?
While incorporating inclusivity in a fashion brand can seem like a lot of effort, it is worth it. Customers are increasingly flocking toward brands that value diversity and inclusion.

Building an inclusive brand can improve your reputation as a socially responsible company that puts in effort for its customers. This can boost your sales and make your marketing much easier.

However, the question remains-how do you bring about inclusivity in a fashion brand? Here are some useful suggestions.

1. Be thorough with your cultural intelligence research

2. Understand the reality of your audience and feature them in your marketing communications

3. Plan and prepare for inclusive designs before launching them

4. Evaluate if you have the kind of financial resources you need for inclusive designs

5. Collaborate with other inclusive brands to bolster your reputation

Examples of successfully inclusive fashion brands in the UK
Apart from following the above-mentioned strategies, another way is to follow in the footsteps of existing brands that are acing the inclusivity game. Here are some of the most inclusive fashion brands in the UK that are leading the way with DEI.

1. The Crumb Agency, a modelling agency that gives opportunities to models from the LGBTQIA community irrespective of their body shapes and sizes.

2. Zebedee Management, a fashion talent organisation that champions diversity by including trans/non-binary models and those with disabilities.

3. Ellie Goldstein, a successful British model with Down Syndrome and the first disabled model to partner with Gucci.

4. Teen Vogue, a popular fashion magazine that often features models with different disabilities on its front covers.

5. The Gentlewoman, another fashion magazine that celebrates diversity in modern women.

How can you contribute to the cause of inclusivity in fashion?

If you are passionate about the fashion industry and want to do your bit to make it more inclusive, you can start with a master's in fashion management .

A master's in fashion business will help you get acquainted with all the latest industry trends, including DEI and sustainability. It will also help you learn how to come up with effective business strategies revolving around these trends.

The London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA) offers a great MA in Fashion Business and Management programme, which can be an ideal fit. The course can help you provide a comprehensive view of the fashion industry within a global context.

Click to enrol in the fashion business course at LCCA and be the face of inclusive fashion in the future.

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Is The Fashion Industry Becoming More Inclusive In 2022 | LCCA

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In a time where diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) has become a focus area for big corporations across different industries, the fashion world is struggling to catch up. Historically, the fashion world hasn't led the best example in terms of diversity and inclusion.

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"Many fashion brands and retailers are now three years on from the commitments they made to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) when the Black Lives Matter movement galvanised attention and sparked action in 2020"

"Brands and retailers argue that they are improving representation, working with specialist third-party organisations and using initiatives to increase diversity in career pipelines."

"But while experts acknowledge efforts and progress, they also raise concerns about diminishing internal budgets and waning enthusiasm – fearing that as businesses grapple with today's challenging economic climate, DEI has fallen off the priority list."

“One of the biggest challenges for fashion businesses wanting to become more representative, is breaking down the systemic barriers that prevent people from diverse backgrounds from entering and succeeding in the industry. These barriers can include everything from a lack of access to education and training to unconscious biases in hiring practices.”

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"After years of complacency, the fashion industry is facing a perfect storm of political consciousness, consumer activism and social-media penetration that is putting intense pressure on brands to show they are stepping up efforts to operate more inclusively than they ever have before."

"The rise of social media and a shifting cultural and political landscape has changed the game, catapulting such conversations into the mainstream. Brands serving a globalised market are scrambling to cater to an increasingly diverse and vocal consumer base."

"Over the past five years, there's been a visible, if gradual, shift within the industry."

"However, much of the shift has been cosmetic; as much about marketing as driving real change. The industry is still struggling to adjust its way of operating and embed inclusivity in the way it works beyond the façade of its big glossy advertising campaigns."

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From charges of cultural appropriation to outright racism, the last year has made clear just how far fashion still has to go to become more inclusive. Now, a perfect storm of identity politics, consumer activism and social media may bring about lasting change.

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"There are levels to the inside of such major corporations that are difficult to navigate, and sometimes difficult to explain,” she says. “That’s exactly why the lack of diversity is a systemic issue. But that push to make internal changes is constantly ongoing. It’s a process that never really ends because you can always be better and do better.”"

"For there to be real change, many industry people believe there needs to be changes made within the c-suites."

"In the last two years we've seen a substantial amount of change spearheaded often by other Black and brown fashion industry leaders. As we continue to navigate the future of fashion and how it can better support people of color, there is an outcry, especially amongst the younger generation for candid conversations with industry leaders and thoughtful inclusivity."

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A look into how the fashion industry has evolved since confronting its diversity issue.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last two years drastically altered our worlds, leaving most catatonically navigating a space they'd been bolstered into. The fashion industry, with its own many faults, vocalized its disdain for what was happening in the streets of minority central cities in late May of 2020, after the consistent and overwhelming amounts of police brutality happening all over the world.

Many believed that the cries of Black, Latinx, and Asian voices were being heard as a mammoth of "We stand with you" and "We see you's" were publicized. An iteration of carousels with 'Black people to know and follow' were placed down our timelines. For many Black and brown people in the industry, this was a chance for their qualms to be addressed.

"It's an interesting position we're in where people care and they want to help, but then it's sort of like, okay, well, 'What is it that is going to concretely make any kind of difference within the industry now that we have a spotlight?'" Christina Tung, Founder of House of asks rhetorically in our sit down.

The general consensus shortly thereafter was that the fashion industry, among many others, was finally going to have its reckoning. Diversity quotas would be filled. More inclusive hiring practices would be implemented. Black visibility would be represented in marketing and advertising campaigns. At what rate, no one was sure. Six months to a year, companies boasted more diverse campaigns, hosted panels with people of color and made their internal evaluations a top priority. But as the fashion weeks return, mask mandates yo-yo, and companies push forward, the question remains: Has anything actually changed?

Influencer Justina Sharp, 24, recalls that pivotal moment in May of 2020 as a time when she used her platform as an influencer to call out brands. She contacted each brand directly stating how she'd sever ties with them if they were unwilling to publicly denounce the ongoing racial attacks Black and brown people were facing. If not, she wouldn't work with them again. Most brands agreed, but some left her email unanswered.

Now, two years later as Sharp continues to navigate the industry as a biracial Black woman, which she calls an "easy diversity percentage" for brands, Sharp believes the real push needs to happen within the beginning ideation stages, not once they've selected and hired influencers for campaigns.

"There should always be Black creatives involved in making those decisions before it gets to the execution phase because that's where a lot of brands I've interacted with fail in their diversity efforts," Sharp says. "When you have five white people, one Black person and then one LGBTQ+ person in a room you're then expecting this one Black person and one LGBTQ+ person to support and navigate the entire diversity of this brand."

Sharp worked on a campaign recently that ended up being nixed early into the process but notes how the script was an "easily written by a white person and slightly protested by the one person of color" situation. She says that the project should never have gotten to her as an influencer. She notes that brands think because they hire 10 Black influencers that they're being diverse. "You're not because at the highest level of this decision you had white people executing the project," Sharp says.

"I think because there's so much focus on outwardly not being canceled or not being called out they're not really taking the time to shift inward," fashion stylist and costume designer Zerina Akers tells Teen Vogue. "Who is sitting in the boardroom? Who is in the meetings, who was on the Zooms that is approving all of this stuff? Are you empowering their voice to speak up when it's necessary? Do you have a diverse opinion in the room? That's how it really starts."

The conversation of diversity stems as far back as the industry's inception. With a galore of "firsts" still taking place, the focus for many leading the conversation is to continually be on top of the brands that said they wanted to be better.

"I want to know in 2025 which brands continued their diversity efforts, that's a good time to say, 'all right, maybe [this brand] didn't get over the bump,' because I see brands already starting to fizzle," Sharifa Murdock Chief Impact Officer at Kith says. "You have to pay attention to that. I don't want people to take their eye off the ball. I want people to come down on these brands and ask, 'Are you really trying to be inclusive?' I want to see it last and 2025 can give a real true story on who is actually continuing the mission."

The foundation of change is based on action. Without movement and groundwork everything stays the same. Organizations like the Black in Fashion Council - founded in 2020 by Sandrine Charles and Lindsay Peoples Wagner - are a part of the physical movement for building long-lasting and diverse change within the fashion space.

"I think for Lindsay [Peoples Wagner] and myself it's just really important that we are integrated with the companies that want to do the work," Charles, founder of Sandrine Charles Consulting, says. "It's not just a one-way street. They provide strategy, ideas, suggestions and we also mirror what we know is happening across the board and lean on suggestions."

Charles and Peoples Wagner co-founded the Black in Fashion Council (BIFC), in hopes of representing and securing the advancement of Black individuals in the fashion and beauty industry. Recently BIFC released their 2021 diversity report highlighting the current workplace structure within the companies BIFC works with. Topics include workplace nondiscrimination, where 43 percent of the participants currently have a "clear, race-based, hair non-discrimination policy in their Equal Employment Opportunity policy." The remaining 27 percent cited that they planned to implement one in the next 12 months.

The BIFC utilizing its platform to hold larger brands accountable is a part of the reason change at its core can begin to happen within the fashion industry. Similarly, Ulta Beauty announced its investment of $8.5 million to brand marketing support for Black-owned, Black-founded and Black-led brands within the company's assortment, more than doubling last year's investment, alongside a partnership and $5 million investment in New Voices venture capital. As the VC's beauty retail partner, Ulta Beauty plans to provide priority access to shelf space, merchandising and marketing support. These efforts from Ulta have been spearheaded by Tracee Ellis Ross who serves as their DE&I advisor.

Recently, major modeling agency, IMG, alongside the Color of Change launched its first ever inclusion rider. The latest diversity effort was officially introduced and implemented during New York Fashion Week at the In the Blk showcase, which featured designers: House of Aama, Khiry and Third Crown. The purpose of the inclusion rider is to ensure that, on all levels of production, diversity and inclusion are at the forefront. The inclusion rider not only accounts for racial diversity, but will focus on cultural appropriation, colorism, and sizeism in the fashion industry.

Also in partnership with Color of Change, the BIFC announced this week its latest endeavor, the BIFC # ChangeFashion directory. The directory of over 300 industry professionals is "a resource for any brand in hopes of a commitment to addressing historical racism and systemic inequity in the fashion industry." The database will feature Black-identifying photographers, makeup artists, set designers, and more, with a geographic reach that expands across the world.

Within the last year, there has been an invaluable amount of movement taking place, but the months of execution aren't always front-facing to the general public, which can make it feel as though nothing is happening in real-time.

"I think that though we're doing it all, people will see it all coming to fruition as time continues to pass and they'll understand why we take our time with certain things so that they're getting the best in class options when it comes to their career," Charles says.

And as those who have access to the authoritative figures within fashion continue to push internally for thoughtful change, there's a persistent measure needed to have those tough conversations. Channell Campbell, who works at Fashion to Figure as the Director of Corporate Comms, Celebrity, & Brand Partnerships, is navigating those diversity efforts alongside her team making sure they're pushing for real change in the plus-size fashion space.

"There are levels to the inside of such major corporations that are difficult to navigate, and sometimes difficult to explain," she says. "That's exactly why the lack of diversity is a systemic issue. But that push to make internal changes is constantly ongoing. It's a process that never really ends because you can always be better and do better."

But for there to be real change, many industry people believe there needs to be changes made within the c-suites.

"For me, it's important to see Black people thriving on all levels," fashion writer Louis Pisano says. "It doesn't just have to be a front-facing Black person with established influence, it can be people that are just starting out. It's about finding opportunities for young Black designers and them getting those same privileges and push-ups young white designers get. Until we see that we're not anywhere near where we need to be. It's all just still sort of a bandaid on the problem, to distract people from the fact that the ones that are still in charge of decision making are non-Black."

Breaking Into The Industry

Diversity and inclusion in an industry that has built its notoriety on being luxuriously exclusive is difficult, especially for young people. Conversations on who is allowed in, the background you need to make it and transparency about the intimidating workload all are important to Gen Z fashion aspirants. Navigating this space the last two years felt hopeful as brands made a valiant effort to publicize their want for more Black and brown voices in the industry. And now as these young people inch closer towards their careers in an industry grappling with its diversity problem, young BIPOC are still looking for real nurturing support.

"I would love the chance to just talk and learn from other Black pioneers, women like June Ambrose and Zerina Akers," freelance stylist and stylist assistant Hannah Norman, 23, says. "I think that they are wonderful. And those are just examples, but I think it's important as someone aspiring to enter the industry to have a chance to connect more with brown and Black women in the industry. They've charted the waters and there's a lot of different things that they went through, skills they've learned that could help me find space in this industry."

The panels, scholarships, and diversity fellowship programs are necessary to build a resume worth hiring, but the real need and want amongst young people is knowledge from the professionals they've aspired to be.

"Companies love to give young people of color scholarships and grants, which is great because we need them for college and to start a business, but it would be great to have a literal person who cares about your journey and supporting you," 21-year-old rising designer, Iyomi Ho Ken says. "I don't see that. It's very rare that [mentorship] is an additional thing that you can get from a scholarship or grant because people's time is so valuable."

Entering fashion is not easy. It is intimidating, especially for those who never saw themselves in the rooms they hope to occupy space in one day. Young people more than anything - especially with the push for diversity made in the last few years - are yearning for knowledge and guidance from those who've inspired their own careers. In the last two years we've seen a substantial amount of change spearheaded often by other Black and brown fashion industry leaders. As we continue to navigate the future of fashion and how it can better support people of color, there is an outcry, especially amongst the younger generation for candid conversations with industry leaders and thoughtful inclusivity.

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Are We Making Progress In Fashion? Experts Weigh In

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A look into how the fashion industry has evolved since confronting its diversity issue. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last two years drastically altered our worlds, leaving most catatonically navigating a space they'd been bolstered into.

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"The lack of Diversity and Inclusivity is undoubtedly one of the biggest problems in fashion."

"How can you measure diversity & inclusivity? Change should be within the company and not only externally"

"The most important aspect of diversity and inclusivity is the infrastructural change within a company, the devotion to really choose to invest and believe in change. When diverse decision makers and executives are allowed to enter the highest levels of the industry, thats when real change happens. It’s not just about casting a ‘diverse’ model, but rather about having a diverse hiring strategy and giving them an influential voice, a ‘seat at the table where decisions are being made’."

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Diversity & Inclusion in the Fashion Industry |

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As part of our Diversity & Inclusivity week, we thought of sharing an insight in the Fashion business. How the industry is dealing with diversity, what is being done and what can still be done. The lack of Diversity and Inclusivity is undoubtedly one of the biggest problems in fashion.

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"There is evidence of real progress  in some businesses, but D&I is not being prioritised consistently in the fashion industry"

"Senior roles in the industry are still dominated by men"

"Progress is slow on ethnic diversity"

"Diversity and inclusion is the new priority for the fashion industry"

"Fashion still has many features of an exclusive industry"

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Genevieve Ang is a consultant in McKinsey's New York office, Pamela Brown is a partner in the New Jersey office, Tiffany Burns is a partner in the Atlanta office, and Stacey Haas is a partner in the Detroit office.

The authors wish to thank Leonie Badger, Stefon Burns, and Emily Gerstell for their contributions to the research.

McKinsey Global Publishing acknowledges the many contributors who collaborated on this multimedia collection, including Mike Borruso, Nicole Esquerre, Justine Jablonska, Stephen Landau, Philip Mathew, Darshan Mehta, Janet Michaud, Charmaine Rice, Jonathon Rivait, Katie Shearer, Dan Spector, Monica Toriello, and Nathan Wilson.

Copyright © McKinsey and Company 2021. All rights reserved.

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Diversity in fashion: Voices from the industry

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Hear directly from fashion students, emerging designers, and industry leaders about diversity in the fashion industry--and their ideas for creating more inclusive workplaces.

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"The fashion industry has faced several accusations of cultural appropriation over the past decade"

"Cultural appropriation may be summarily described as the taking, by a member of a dominant culture, of a cultural element from a minority culture, without consent, attribution or compensation."

"Cultural appropriation cases spark passionate debate because while fashion’s borrowing of stylistic elements from other cultures is common practice, it can, in reality, be offensive to the holders of traditional cultures. Misinterpretation or disregard for the cultural significance of a traditional cultural expression (TCE), even if unintentional, can have drastic consequences, both culturally and economically. "

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"A designer must know the difference between paying respect and exploiting a culture. However, it is surprising to see mainstream designers constantly contributing towards cultural appropriation in the fashion industry."

"It is not something new but prevailing for decades."

"We can avoid cultural appropriation in fashion if designers and celebrities embrace the history behind their inspiration. Also, they must work with the artists from the said community and give them due credit"

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There is a fine line between freedom of expression and open disrespect. But who decides it? In this article, we have compiled everything you need to know about cultural appropriation in fashion.
A designer must know the difference between paying respect and exploiting a culture. However, it is surprising to see mainstream designers constantly contributing towards cultural appropriation in the fashion industry.

If you may ask the definition, cultural appropriation in fashion refers to the use of elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that does not respect their original meaning or give credit to their source.

It is not something new but prevailing for decades. For instance, during the 17th century, English and French aristocrats adopted the three-piece suit from the traditional ensemble of Islamic countries. Similarly, English Regency era dandies adapted the Indian churidars into slim-fitting pants.

In 2011, Karl Lagerfeld, the late Creative Director of Chanel created the Paris-Bombay Metiers d'Art collection. Inspiration was taken from the aesthetics of India, saree-esque drapes, anarkalis, and salwar-kameez, sprawled across the runway. In addition, the predominantly white models walked in bindis, naths, maang-tikas, hath-phools, and dreadlocks. However, no one objected to the show. It is not because Chanel did not offend people, but because minority groups did not have a voice back then like they have now. Indeed with the help of social media, minority communities can now express their long-held concerns and feelings.

From Gucci selling $800 turbans on their website to Kim Kardashian's so-called "exotic" fashion choices, scroll through some of the most questionable cultural appropriation moments captured in the fashion industry in recent times.

Cultural Appropriation in Fashion Shows

Each fashion week, the legacy of luxury giants adopting minorities' culture resurfaces. We have compiled a list of designers that frequently seem to feature appropriated culture in their collections.

1. Marc Jacobs

When it comes to Marc Jacobs, cultural appropriation in fashion shows is nothing new. He is constantly under the spotlight for his serious affair with appropriating cultures. The Spring/Summer 2017 show featured mainly white models like Karlie Kloss, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner swarmed across the runway in faux dreadlocks hairdo. Most likely, Marc was unaware that black women get fired from jobs and discriminated against at work for wearing their ethnic styles, including dreadlocks. It caused havoc on the internet as the upset communities called out the designer for using their lifestyle as a trend.

Not even a year later, the designer made another blunder at his Spring/Summer 2018 show. This time it was the head wraps, again, on white models. Viewers were quick to call him out, as the hairstylist for the collection cited the 70s as the inspiration but made no reference to the head wrap's origins. To clarify, head wraps have served as a uniform for the collective identity of millions of enslaved women.

2. Gucci

One of the infamous examples of cultural appropriation in fashion is when Gucci was under fire for listing Indy Turban for $790 as an accessory on their website. The product debuted during Gucci's Fall 2018/2019 runway on multiple white models, antagonized the members of the Sikh community. Later, they expressed their frustration over the product by explaining that the Sikh turban is not a hot new accessory for sale but an article of faith for those who practice Sikhism.

Certainly, it was easy for Gucci to put Indy Turbans on the ramp and sell them as a hat. However, many Sikh men and women around the world face violence and mistrust for wearing them.

3. Victoria's Secret

Next, where do we even begin with Victoria's Secret? The grand fashion show featuring angel wings, bedazzled lingerie with no plus-size representation, often engages in cultural appropriation that leaves us shaking our heads in dismay.

2010: Wild Things

During their show in 2010, models donned animal print lingerie surrounded by men in sarongs and skirts. All the models both male, and female, were covered with black lines and other patterns. By the way, it was supposed to represent indigenous body art.

2012: Calendar Girls

Similarly, during the 2012 show, angels walked the ramp to represent a month of the year and a holiday associated with it. Karlie Kloss walked down the runway wearing a feather headpiece with suede fringe, leopard-print lingerie for November to represent Thanksgiving. Hurt communities expressed their anger and called out Victoria's Secret for glorifying the genocide that indigenous people suffered.

2016: Road Ahead

Again in their Road Ahead segment of the 2016 show, designers drew inspiration from traditional Chinese prints to create flowy capes, thigh-high boots, oversized jackets, traditional jewelry, headdresses, and halter-neck crop tops. Chinese viewers took their anger to social media. They bashed the show for using traditional prints in making lingerie. Also, using a fully feathered dragon that represents good luck, strength, and health in Chinese culture as a prop wrapped around Elsa Hosk's torso.

Cultural Appropriation in Fashion Magazines

1. Vogue Arabia

In March 2017, Vogue Arabia launched their very first issue featuring a veiled Gigi Hadid. The much-awaited launch provoked cries of cultural appropriation from the audience. They expected a woman more relevant to the Middle East community on the cover. Muslim women across the globe face violence, hate, and discrimination for wearing a hijab. Consequently, fans called out Gigi for using hijab as a mere fashion accessory for the shoot.

2. Harper's Bazaar China

Singer, songwriter and business mogul Rihanna posed for Harper's Bazaar China August issue in 2019. She appeared in a vibrant blue gown with pleated, avant-garde sleeves, a hairstyle like that of traditional Chinese style, eyebrows blocked, and lips painted red just at the center. As a result, it garnered mixed reactions from the audience. While some Twitterati accused her of appropriating Chinese culture, others called it an appreciation of culture.

Harper's Bazaar China shared images from the shoot on their Instagram handle and revealed the concept behind the cover. It was a western-style icon-meets-eastern aesthetic. In this case, it was not cultural appropriation because the entire team behind Harper's Bazaar China was Chinese and was credited in both Rihanna and Harper bazaar China's Instagram post.

Cultural Appropriation at Music Festivals

Coachella

The Coachella Festival is an annual music and arts festival held in California. Festival-goers and celebrities often dress in bindis, feathered headdresses, cornrows, henna tattoos, and war paints for "Coachella lewks" for Instagram likes. For the most part, these looks are drawn from someone else's culture with no regard for their historical significance.

Cultural Appropriation in Music Videos & Performances

1. Hymn For The Weekend- Coldplay ft. Beyonce

British rock band Coldplay's Hymn for the Weekend music video has now surpassed over one billion views on YouTube. Filmed during the festival of Holi, Chris Martin traveled through the narrow streets of Mumbai in a tuk-tuk. As a result, a handful of people described it as appreciating our culture, many of them accused it of cultural appropriation because of the stereotypical depiction of India as a country of narrow lanes, Sadhus, elephants, and snake-charmers.

Perhaps the band could have immersed themselves in Indian culture and paid homage without dressing Beyoncé in a traditional ensemble. Above all, Queen Bey did not even travel to India for the shoot.

2. Come and Get it- Selena Gomez

In 2013, Selena Gomez performed Come & Get It at MTV Movie Awards. She made her entry in a veil, donning a bindi as an accessory for her performance. In addition to bindi, she also incorporated a little Bollywood dance routine into her choreography. Offended Indian fans expressed their disappointment on the internet. Indeed, bindi is not to be casually adorned for indecent performances or as a fashion accessory.

Cultural Appropriation in Fashion by Celebrities

1. Kylie Jenner

The youngest sibling of the Kardashian-Jenner "Klan" has always been in the news for various reasons. Last year, Twitter users accused Kylie of cultural appropriation. She posted a picture from an old photo shoot where her platinum blonde hair was styled in twists (a protective style in the African-American culture). Eventually, Kylie deleted it from her Instagram after receiving backlash.

2. Kim Kardashian

Recently, Kim Kardashian posted a few pictures from her latest campaign for her brand KKW-Beauty. Fans accused her of misappropriating religious symbols by sporting Om earrings. Users took their anger to Twitter and explained that Hinduism is not an aesthetic. In the meantime, it isn't the first time users accused her of appropriating Indian culture. In 2019, Kim shared a picture where she styled a maang-tika (traditionally worn by brides) with a crop top and a skirt.

How to Do it Right?

Even though it is a simple notion to grasp, many people still believe that the ability to express themselves in henna stickers and Amazon-bought bindis is more essential than considering the culture they are stealing. We can avoid cultural appropriation in fashion if designers and celebrities embrace the history behind their inspiration. Also, they must work with the artists from the said community and give them due credit. For instance, take a peek at a couple of cultural appreciation moments captured in the fashion industry.

1. Christian Louboutin x Sabyasachi

In 2017, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Christian Louboutin teamed up to create a limited-edition collection of shoes and bags, namely "Candy Store" for men and women. Classic Christian Louboutin styles were reinterpreted and handcrafted in the most exquisite silk fabrics embellished with zardozi from Sabyasachi's collection. Truly the shoes and bags were each of a kind and made-to-measure.

2. Kim Kardashian West x Vogue India

In 2018, Kim Kardashian appeared on the cover of Vogue India and wore various traditional Indian ensembles custom-made by some of the top Indian designers like Anita Dongre, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Anamika Khanna, and more. Moreover, Anaita Shroff Adajania, Fashion Director for Vogue India, styled each look.

To summarize, it is not difficult to avoid cultural appropriation in fashion. Fashion is all about creativity. Our travels, and foreign experiences always positively impact creativity. But fashion designing is also a responsibility, especially when you have the opportunity to educate your community about another community that has been oppressed in the past.

Therefore, the persistent stealing of cultures means one of two things: either designers and celebrities do not know, or they do not care to know. What is your take on this? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below or tweeting @shilpa1ahuja.

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Cultural Appropriation In Fashion | A Complete Guide

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There is a fine line between freedom of expression and open disrespect. Learn everything you need to know about cultural appropriation in fashion.

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" What is cultural appropriation? The Kunstmuseum Den Haag refers to it in the press release surrounding the exhibition as 'copying' from other cultures, often without correct reference to the source."

"Janice Deul described the phenomenon as using symbols from other cultures purely for aesthetic reasons without considering the meaning of the items. Often this also involves using elements of marginalized cultures."

"Equal collaboration is the only way to prevent cultural appropriation in fashion"

"to turn cultural appropriation into cultural appreciation, whereby the use of other people's heritage is accounted for, a fair price is paid for its use and makers and carriers delve into the heritage of an item."

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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 and inclusivity in the fashion world. Therefore: What is it, where is the line between appropriation and appreciation and how can it be prevented according to experts?

First of all: What is cultural appropriation? The Kunstmuseum Den Haag refers to it in the press release surrounding the exhibition as 'copying' from other cultures, often without correct reference to the source. In a talk at Digital Fashion Week Europe last July, writer, curator and activist Janice Deul described the phenomenon as using symbols from other cultures purely for aesthetic reasons without considering the meaning of the items. Often this also involves using elements of marginalized cultures.

In recent years, fashion houses and brands have been increasingly criticized for using symbols, prints and garments from other cultures. Thus the recent examples of Isabel Marant and Louis Vuitton come to mind. Mexico accused fashion designer Isabel Marant in 2020 of commercially exploiting several traditional Mexican indigenous designs in a collection. The designer was already accused of the same in 2015. Not much later, Marant apologized for the cultural appropriation of the patterns. The designer admitted that the Purepecha patterns have indeed been used as inspiration and that in the future she will 'honor the sources of inspiration used'.

Louis Vuitton withdrew a scarf inspired by the Palestinian keffiyeh from the website in June 2021 after criticism on social media. The keffiyeh is seen as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. The traditional black and white pattern of the Keffiyeh was changed to blue and the brand incorporated its own monogram into the scarf. Price tag? $705. Also, the timing of the item was very unfortunate, as several bombings had taken place in Palestine at the time.

However, examples go back much further. Think, for example, of 1994, when Karl Lagerfeld used a verse from the Koran as a print on a corset in the Chanel summer collection. The brand apologized and Lagerfeld said he thought the verse was an Indian love poem inspired by the Taj Mahal. The collection contained three dresses with verses on them, Chanel promised to burn them.

One of the three famous Chanel dresses with Quranic texts on them. Chanel SS94, image via Catwalkpictures.com.

In the new exhibition, which can be seen from 9 October to 16 January 2022, the Kunstmuseum shows that for a long time it was normal to use clothing items, traditional costumes and symbols from other cultures under the guise of 'appreciation and inspiration'. For example, the 'Japanese rock', a dressing gown, which was worn by wealthy men in the seventeenth century and was seen as a status symbol. But also the Kashmir scarf and the turban. It also happened that clothing that was worn by a man in India or China, for example, was put on by a woman in Europe. In the 1920s, many Western European women wore a men's coat from China that functioned as an evening coat for them. "Valued for the handicrafts, the decorations and the splendor of colours, but almost certainly without the understanding of the symbolism in Chinese embroidery," according to a report from the Kunstmuseum. The 1970s were also full of cultural appropriation with clothing from Afghanistan, for example, that was worn by hippies. So cultural appropriation in fashion goes back much further than we might think, it just wasn't called that.

Two Japonse rocken (: dressing gowns for men) in kimono model of Chinese silk and 'bizarre' silk, ca. 1750-1775, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Alice de Groot.

Empire dresses with embroidery in buta motifs (derived from the Kashmir scarf fashion) and Kashmir shawls with buta motifs. The Kashmir scarf originally comes from India, first quarter of the 19th century, Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Photo: Alice de Groot.

Preventing cultural appropriation? "It can only be avoided with cooperation"

Where in one case a Minister of Culture (Alejandra Frausto of Mexico) writes a letter to a brand, another chooses to sell the licenses of, for example, their name or the well-known patterns and to claim license income from fashion houses. Take the Maasai, for example, an African tribe that lives in Tanzania and Kenya. In 2011, Kim Jones, who spent his childhood in Kenya, used prints linked to Maasai culture in his Louis Vuitton debut. It's not the first time the Maasai's name or prints have been used in fashion.

Two years before Jones' debut at Louis Vuitton, 9 elders of the tribe decided to form an organization called the Maasai IP Initiative Trust Ltd (MIPI) to fight back. MIPI takes their cultural heritage into their own hands and starts a clear and professional process whereby commercial users of their culture can apply for a license. Proceeds from the licenses should help support the Maasai community in health, education and repurchase of the right to water and land to graze animals. FashionUnited has contacted MIPI and inquired about how often the organization has been successful, but to date have not received a reply.

To take it one step further: Is it possible to sue when a community experiences cultural appropriation? FashionUnited calls Nine Bennink from Köster Advocaten in Haarlem. When asked, Bennink answers that there is a procedural option when it comes to cultural appropriation. This concerns copyright that can be reverted to. "Most communities have not registered a trademark, but copyright already exists the moment something is made, without registration." Communities could therefore file a lawsuit and also win, the lawyer says. Such a lawsuit is anything but desirable for fashion houses. "The cost of losing face to a fashion house is many times greater than offering a community compensation or paying licensing fees." How much such a license should cost is a gray area, as there is no standard for it. What Bennink is sure about is that fashion houses are starting to be much more careful with cultural heritage, partly because it causes reputational damage and the fact that communities can actually win in court. "Copyright is a tool for communities to address a social problem." Bennink sees it mainly as a means that is used for this. "But the social pressure and the possible loss of face that the fashion house can suffer are in fact also powerful tools." since there is no standard for it. What Bennink is sure about is that fashion houses are starting to be much more careful with cultural heritage, partly because it causes reputational damage and the fact that communities can actually win in court.

'Equal collaboration is the only way to prevent cultural appropriation in fashion'

The only real way to combat cultural appropriation? There are more sides to that. First of all, other people's heritage is not meant to be simply copied for purely aesthetic reasons. Secondly, if one wants to make use of cultural heritage, it is important that one knows the meaning and context of the elements and treats them with respect. It would help if designers and brands tell the story of these elements and thus also impart this knowledge to the public. In addition, and perhaps the most important point, connecting and equal partnerships can be entered into with a community where the craft is performed locally and, of course, paid fairly, according to the Kunstmuseum.

Time, then, to turn cultural appropriation into cultural appreciation, whereby the use of other people's heritage is accounted for, a fair price is paid for its use and makers and carriers delve into the heritage of an item. Does this mean that makers and carriers should only seek inspiration within their own heritage? Certainly not. Is there room for improvement in the fashion world? Absolutely.
This article was originally published on FashionUnited.NL, translated and edited to English by Kelly Press.

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

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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 and inclusivity in the fashion world.

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"Cultural appropriation is “the act through which specificities of a given culture, such as symbols, artifacts, genres, rituals, or technologies, are used by members of a different culture.”"

"Even if culturally embedded trends begin at the street level, luxury brands and fashion houses still have more power to push their global acceptance. Often these cultural motifs, materials or styles are discovered and embraced at the luxury level and little credit goes to the communities or heritage the fashion draws from."

"Marginalized subcultures are often excluded from the fashion industry at the outset, but when a style or trend they display is ultimately embraced by the mainstream, the subculture’s contribution is often disregarded."

"To use a part of someone’s culture as inspiration and exclude people of that culture as well is a form of theft"

"In fashion, lack of diversity and representation in the workplace, c-suite, and on the runways, as well as mistreatment in factories, have generated greater debate about the racial dynamics in the industry."

"“Current campaigns to decolonize design are important in highlighting the role of colonial history in normalizing how we make clothes,” "

"Cultural appropriation and the fashion industry, in particular, reflect capitalism"

"“Crediting sources of inspiration is essential and the translation if done, must honor and exhibit an understanding of the original source of inspiration — if not done, then cultural heritage is diminished,’"

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Fashion has always stemmed from culture, drawing from it, embracing global exploration, and tapping into music and art to set the tone for visual design.

While the early days of trade opened the door to cultural exchange - expanding commerce, bringing exotic textiles to new markets and allowing never-before-seen novelties to inspire designs - it simultaneously made way for cultural appropriation. And today cultural appropriation can prove to be a minefield for companies that make missteps.

Cultural appropriation, on the one hand, can be a celebration of that cultural exchange when done respectfully and tastefully. But it can also take from cultures and people's heritage, often leaving them out of the story entirely.

As defined, according to Dr. Benedetta Morsiani, a research fellow at the University of Westminster in London in the department of Modern Languages and Cultures, cultural appropriation is "the act through which specificities of a given culture, such as symbols, artifacts, genres, rituals, or technologies, are used by members of a different culture."

"This phenomenon now mainly refers to the exploitation of marginalized cultures by more dominant, mainstream cultures," Morsiani said.

She used African fashion as an example of inspiration for designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Donna Karan and Dolce & Gabbana. But while their collections received worldwide attention, African designers did not receive the same spotlight. The younger generation, she said, is more aware and vocal about cultural appropriation due to the cultural diversity in metropolises, and their awareness of the lack of representation for specific groups of people.

"I believe it is especially this need [to represent the marginalized] that encourages people to want to protect the cultural specificities of their racial and ethnic groups," Morsiani said. "Therefore, people become vocal on matters of cultural appropriation as a means of maintaining and protecting their own cultural identity, which is already marginalized."
THE BACKSTORY

Fashion often highlights its admiration of culture through textiles first.

A quick study of royal court dress and portraiture from the courts of 18th-century doyenne Marie Antoinette reveals silks fashioned in Asiatic themes. The imported Indian Kashmir (pashmina) shawl, a predecessor of the Nineties super trend, was one such piece. Its connection to the high courts by way of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's wife, Empress Josephine, heightened its social status and inevitably inspired its popularity among the masses at that time.

Moving into the 20th century, innovations in textile development would allow for commercial gains and successes via artistic license. Couturiers like Charles Frederick Worth, who revisited Renaissance costume stylings to create one of the most influential houses for women of the time, including Queen Victoria, set the tone for certain fashions, inspiring elements of what dressmakers and tailors would make for the masses. While innovators like Paul Poiret, Mario Fortuny and Madeline Vionnet revived neoclassical silhouettes highlighting the influence of Africa, Japan, India and the Americas, the source cultures and artisans often went uncredited.

"Many times appropriation occurs by 'borrowing' textile design techniques, which is often not discussed, so teaching textile history from a social justice lens is important," said Delice. "I personally feel the response and the receptivity are often motivated by economics, especially in cases where large firms have 'borrowed' designs without consultation and crediting the original makers. It is bad publicity that hurts the bottom line."
THE BACKLASH
Fashion is a top-down system. Even if culturally embedded trends begin at the street level, luxury brands and fashion houses still have more power to push their global acceptance. Often these cultural motifs, materials or styles are discovered and embraced at the luxury level and little credit goes to the communities or heritage the fashion draws from.

Unlike centuries past when drawing on cultures for fashion was more commonplace and less contested - today, fashion houses, brands and designers are chastised for missteps around cultural appropriation. Too many, according to those who speak out against the issue, have drawn from other cultures for their own profit and gain, and given little back. Now, whether it's considered fashion appreciation or appropriation, it can be a hot button issue.

Gucci, for one, faced backlash for cultural appropriation following its fall 2018 runway show, which featured white models wearing turbans. Further discontent ensued when the brand had the turban on sale at Nordstrom for $790.

The Sikh Coalition, named for the religious group that dons the cloth head wraps as part of a religious observance and which advocates for religious rights, had this to say on social media: "The turban is not just an accessory to monetize; it's a religious article of faith that millions of Sikhs view as sacred. Many find this cultural appropriation inappropriate, since those wearing the turban just for fashion will not appreciate its deep religious significance."

What the move also failed to address, critics said, was the harassment or mistreatment that people who wear turbans for religious reasons often face while wearing them. As a fashion piece, Gucci's turban would profit in the face of that.

In the aftermath of the coalition's statement, Nordstrom apologized and said it would no longer sell the piece. For Gucci, this came just months after its Blackface sweater debacle.

Similar concern has arisen in the face of workplace dress codes that prohibit or discourage Black people from wearing natural hairstyles. When Marc Jacobs can have Gigi and Bella Hadid walk his runway show with a wig of dreadlocks, it highlights the world's imbalances. Jacobs said the hairstyle was inspired by American film director and producer Lana Wachowski, but there was no acknowledgement of the style's origins or spiritual significance to Rastafarianism.

"Many times an idea, design or motif of a culture is extracted from its original context, and reworked in a manner that can be or is perceived as demeaning," said Matthew Yokobosky, senior curator of fashion and material culture at the Brooklyn Museum. "When these slights, big and small, are amplified in the press, consensus gathers, which sometimes results in shaming the designer or company."

Yokobosky, who has worked in museums for 35 years, said the conversation surrounding cultural appropriation has always been a part of the dialogue at a museum but that, lately, the discussion has stretched beyond art to large corporations benefiting from borrowing ideas and motifs.
THE BREAKDOWN
Examples like this allude to exclusivity. Marginalized subcultures are often excluded from the fashion industry at the outset, but when a style or trend they display is ultimately embraced by the mainstream, the subculture's contribution is often disregarded.

To use a part of someone's culture as inspiration and exclude people of that culture as well is a form of theft, according to Dr. Serkan Delice, a senior lecturer and research coordinator in the cultural and historical department at London College of Fashion. Delice believes the conversation around cultural appropriation grew louder due to the recent acts of racism and discrimination toward people of color.

"I think this is a reactionary debate and for the right reasons," he said. "We're still experiencing the legacies of the long history of colonization and slavery, which is why I feel there is a heated debate about appropriation."

Racial injustices and discrimination in the broader landscape play a role in the anger felt toward brands accused of cultural appropriation. But in fashion, lack of diversity and representation in the workplace, c-suite, and on the runways, as well as mistreatment in factories, have generated greater debate about the racial dynamics in the industry.

"Current campaigns to decolonize design are important in highlighting the role of colonial history in normalizing how we make clothes," said Tanveer Ahmed, a Ph.D. student at The Open University, U.K., and visiting tutor at the Royal College of Art in London. "Many mainstream design approaches decontextualize non-Western design concepts and use them as ideas for superficial decoration for short-term fashion collections, rather than as legitimate sources of fashion knowledge."

Delice believes cultural appropriation and the fashion industry, in particular, reflect capitalism, and the act of (and the outrage toward) cultural appropriation has less to do with appropriation itself and more to do with the greater conversation about racism and classism.

"From my perspective, the issue isn't a lack of respect of cultures," he said. "The reason why I'm extremely critical of appropriation is because it makes the laborers invisible. When appropriation happens, the labor of the original producers becomes invisible and that is highly unfair."

At the least, fashion should be crediting the sources that inspire its designs. At the most, it should be finding a way to work with those cultures and bring them into the fold.

"Crediting sources of inspiration is essential and the translation if done, must honor and exhibit an understanding of the original source of inspiration - if not done, then cultural heritage is diminished,' said Eulanda Sanders, department chair for apparel, events and hospitality management at Iowa State University.

"Fashion is the dearest child of capitalism," she said. "If one wants to understand capitalism, they must understand fashion. Fashion is defined by ever-increasing speed and capitalism is about the quest for profit. If you ask a designer to produce so many collections per year, which in itself is an unsustainable proposition, you can't expect a designer to do proper research."

Because fashion is predicated on a trending cycle, the use of cultural symbolism as inspiration may seemingly last for a moment, but once it is deemed palatable, the market for repetition is inevitable.

"Appropriation is a form of dubious representation," Delice said. "The question is, who has the power and privilege to represent another culture?"

In short, the conversation around cultural appropriation is much bigger than putting dreadlocks on a white model or traditional Ethiopian weavings into a collection without giving the artisans due credit.

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How Cultural Appropriation Became a Hot-button Issue for Fashion

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Fashion has always stemmed from culture, drawing from it, embracing global exploration, and tapping into music and art to set the tone for visual design. While the early days of trade opened the door to cultural exchange - expanding commerce, bringing exotic textiles to new markets and allowing never-before-seen novelties to inspire designs - it simultaneously made way for cultural appropriation.

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"We’ve all seen instances of appropriation over the years. This usually happens when a dominant race adopts the culture of a minority with little or no sensitivity and respect towards its origin."

"We’re all entitled to our opinion and what we see fit for ourselves. But when we’re referring to a specific culture, all we need to ensure is that we’re doing it respectfully — which is mostly done.”

"If your action disrespects the original idea because of cultural, religious or other customs, then you've gone too far. If you claim it as yours without giving credit, you've definitely gone too far. There are a few things that should never be done like blackface or dreadlocks on a white person. With taste and acknowledgement, though, most things can be done.”

"When borrowing any aspect of a certain culture, it's important to understand the historical context. Chances are if we understand a cultural product and its sacredness, we’re unlikely to use it in an offensive or objectionable way. We need to put the research and time into it. The only way to determine if we’re appreciating or appropriating is to question ourselves and understand if we’re borrowing and respecting a culture or exploiting it and ripping it off for self-interest.”

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Respect and credit for the borrowed culture, seems to be that fine line. Kelvin Gonclaves, Founder and President at Elkel, an independent NYC based avant-garde boutique retailing designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Walter Van Beirendonck, GmbH and Rick Owens, believes that any form of art - fashion included - borrows inspiration from other cultures and it has created new and incredible things. "Fortunately, appropriation isn't always a side effect of this crossing. A lot of it has to do with respecting the traditions of the original idea and acknowledging the inspiration. If your action disrespects the original idea because of cultural, religious or other customs, then you've gone too far. If you claim it as yours without giving credit, you've definitely gone too far. There are a few things that should never be done like blackface or dreadlocks on a white person. With taste and acknowledgement, though, most things can be done."

Gonclaves continues, " Rick Owens is a great example of this. Through his career he has referenced Egyptian culture. He did it not by fetishising it nor creating some sort of Disney-fied version of it, instead he was inspired by shapes and most importantly cultural traditions and ideas of life and death and injected that into his DNA, creating something that feels modern and relevant but still full of history. I think that's part of the reason it's so successful, the way Rick presents things makes the audience curious about the origin. Instead of creating a design based on something else and saying this is 'my' creation, he created something that directed the viewer towards the original idea."

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The grey area between cultural appropriation and appreciation

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Respect and credit for the borrowed culture, seems to be that fine line. Kelvin Gonclaves, Founder and President at Elkel, an independent NYC based avant-garde boutique retailing designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Walter Van Beirendonck, GmbH and Rick Owens, believes that any form of art - fashion included - borrows inspiration from other cultures and it has created new and incredible things.

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"It’s as impossible to untangle for Kardashian as it is for her entire family. Just a week ago, Kim’s sister Khloe Kardashian posted a picture on Instagram of herself, Kim and sister Kourtney Kardashian with the caption: “The only KKK to ever let black men in.”"

"When the subject of racial bias does come up, the Kardashians often claim ignorance."

"Whether Kim Kardashian has thought about it or not, racial bias and discrimination certainly created the cultural climate that allowed the family to rise to fame."

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TV personality Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West attend the Israeli-American designer Alber Elbaz Spring/Summer 2015 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Lanvin during Paris Fashion Week on Sept. 25. (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)

As you surely know, last week Kim Kardashian posed - naked - on the pages of Paper Magazine. The stated goal? #BreakTheInternet.

Most cultural critics rolled their eyes and cried . But the Kardashians aren't just trashy. They're dangerous-actively exploiting and reinforcing racial and gender biases that bite us in the ass.

Kim Kardashian's picture is an almost exact replica of a 1976 portrait, also shot by photographer Jean-Paul Goude. The original version features Carolina Beaumont, who is black. The portrait was published in Goude's book called, ahem, "Jungle Fever."

Both images harken back to even more offensive representations of black women, particularly of Saartjie Baartman - the "Hottentot Venus" - a black woman with a large rear end who was violently exploited as a sexual object in a traveling " freak show" during the slave trade era.

For centuries since (and likely before) black women and their bodies have been smeared by stereotypes of hyper-sexuality simultaneously displayed and denigrated, their individuality and self-determination suppressed by the whims of the white male gaze. Goude, a white man, embodies this exploitative obsession. "Blacks are the premise of my work," he in 1979. "I have jungle fever."

As Yomi Adegoke wrote in the Guardian in September, non-black women have a history of appropriating black women's bodies and culture. Black women's big bottoms were "the butt of fashion industry jokes for years," Adegoke writes, until Jennifer Lopez, Iggy Azalea and even Miley Cyrus started boasting their own rear attributes, "Why does a black butt only look good in white skin?" Adegoke wrote.

It's unclear whether Kardashian knew about her photo's ugly context. If she did, her defense might be that she's subverting the image - she's not being exploited by society; she's exploiting us. If society gives you racial and sexual exploitation, make lemonade, right? Isn't Kardashian just an empowered modern woman taking control of her own body and career?

On Twitter, Kardashian even mocked her detractors:

And they say I didn't have a talent...try balancing a champagne glass on your ass LOL #BreakTheInternet #PaperMagazine

- Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) November 12, 2014

But I think Kardashian does have a talent - exploiting the fetishization of women of color to line her own pocket. She's like a buck-naked Trojan horse for a devious message: that the rest of us shouldn't get our panties in a bunch about sexism and racism because, hey, Kim Kardashian is laughing about it. All the way to the bank.*

It's as impossible to untangle for Kardashian as it is for her entire family. Just a week ago, Kim's sister Khloe Kardashian posted a picture on Instagram of herself, Kim and sister Kourtney Kardashian with the caption: " The only KKK to ever let black men in."

It's like saying, "Hey, people of color, don't be so freaked out about the Ku Klux Klan threatening 'lethal force' against protesters in Ferguson because, ya know, the KKK is a joke. The Kardashians said so!" Khloe also posted a Halloween picture of herself next to Scott Disick (longtime partner of Kourtney), dressed as an Arab sheik, with the caption, "Sheik P*ssy."* Why can't everyone just have a sense of humor about racism and sexism like the Kardashians?

When the subject of racial bias does come up, the Kardashians often claim ignorance.

"To be honest, before I had North, I never really gave racism or discrimination a lot of thought," Kim Kardashian on her blog last May soon after giving birth.

"We don't want to reduce ignorance to prejudice," Alexis McGill Johnson, executive director of Perception Institute, said of the Kardashians. "But at the same time, we need to be able to call out flagrant examples of bias and hope that someone at this level of public privilege will work to get this right - not just for themselves, but for all the people who follow them."

But whether Kim Kardashian has thought about it or not, racial bias and discrimination certainly created the cultural climate that allowed the family to rise to fame.

The very title of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" suggests that while these women of color are successfully using their, uh, assets, everyone else is behind. Certainly race and gender discrimination can't be part of the answer because the Kardashian women are so successful?

The implication is that something is wrong with the rest of us that we can't keep up. But it would certainly help if the Kardashians weren't so recklessly feeding the biases and stereotypes we know make it harder for women and people of color, and especially women of color, to succeed.

* Correction: This article has been amended because it's unclear whether Kardashian identifies as a woman of color. An earlier version of this post also misidentified Scott Disick.

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How the Kardashians exploit racial bias for profit

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As you surely know, last week Kim Kardashian posed - naked - on the pages of Paper Magazine. The stated goal? #BreakTheInternet. Most cultural critics rolled their eyes and cried . But the Kardashians aren't just trashy. They're dangerous-actively exploiting and reinforcing racial and gender biases that bite us in the ass.

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"The Kardashian family has a long history of appropriation, and they continue to build their empire with little regard for the communities from which they borrow (or in some cases, steal). "

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The Kardashian brand is inarguably bolstered by drama. They profit from it. And while there's something to be admired about the ability to monetize controversy, we have to hold them accountable when that controversy is blatantly harmful or problematic. Which brings us to their ongoing habit of profiting off of cultural appropriation.

The Kardashian family has a long history of appropriation, and they continue to build their empire with little regard for the communities from which they borrow (or in some cases, steal). Admittedly, even the most well-intentioned allies have missteps, and the Kardashian clan has been adjacent to the black community for decades-which has surely, at least somewhat, blurred their view of what is and isn't okay. And while they've used their platform to *occasionally* bring awareness to causes like Black Lives Matter, they've also exploited people of color through the following business ventures:

At first glance, Khloé Kardashian's denim brand is a cool-girl fashion line with unique designs for all body types. But look a little closer, and you'll find yourself questioning whether Khloé stole the designs right out of the hands of entrepreneur Destiney Bleu.

When someone buys 1 of everything on your site, has you make them custom @dbleudazzled work, never posts it or wears it, then copies it. 🙃 https://t.co/hylp6fcOdh June 2, 2017

Apparently, imitation is the best form of flattery-but when a woman of color grinds to land her designs on the likes of Beyoncé, Meghan Trainor, and the ladies of Fifth Harmony, she deserves some credit. Bleu's work appears to have been repackaged and sold as revolutionary new duds "designed" by a Kardashian, and it's not okay. Guess the name Good American is apt, considering that appropriating cultures (and subsequently profiting off them) is about as American as it gets.

Kylie Jenner's Swimwear

Khloé isn't the only one of Kris Jenner's children that's been accused of ripping off a black designer. In yet another enterprise that profits off black creativity, Kylie Jenner " designed" camouflage bikini sets that are eerily similar to those of Tizita Balemlay's brand Plugged NYC.

Even more sinister is the fact that Kylie requested many of Balemlay's items before mysteriously producing a copycat line of her own. The pieces are so similar that upon first glance, the two brands juxtaposed next to one another look like one cohesive line.

Are they really Kylie camos???? 😒 pic.twitter.com/bw6xSlimhv June 9, 2017

Sure, camo is a trend that cyclically pops up in fashion, but there's still incredible evidence that Kylie and her team used Balemlay's designs to appropriate an "urban" look with absolutely no attribution.

Kendall Jenner's Pepsi Commercial

As anyone with even the faintest interest in pop culture is well aware, Kendall Jenner scored a deal with Pepsi which resulted in an offensive ad trivializing the Black Lives Matter movement. By signing on for a political ad, Kendall had a huge opportunity to take a firm stance as a white ally (while still collecting a fat paycheck in the process). Yet what could have been a soul-stirring take on a controversial socio-political movement became just another frothy result of cultural appropriation.

As a New York Times commenter astutely noted, "Ads like this are the reason why diversity is so important. Stuff like this happens when there are no black people in the room during the creative process." Instead of consulting people of color to help produce the commercial-or better yet, hiring an entertainer of color to star in it-Pepsi and Kendall Jenner succeeded at producing a painfully out-of-touch ad that capitalized on and watered down an important movement.

Kylie Hair Couture

Kylie Jenner has already been scrutinized for her Lip Kits having a strikingly similar formula to those of ColourPop-and unfortunately that's not the only thing to criticize. Kylie's physical transformation appropriates features of black women (in case you have doubts, please see her see her use of corn rows, dreads, and Yaki hair), but it's not just about personal appropriation-it's about profiting from it. Almost three years ago, Kylie posted a Woman Crush Wednesday that shouted out Heather Sanders-an entrepreneur of color-and her lovely blue hair.

Just two months later, she was seen rocking her own blue extensions. Before long, Kylie Hair Couture was made in partnership with Bellami, and once again there was little to no acknowledgment of the inspiration behind Kylie's new look or enterprise.

The youngest Jenner is often lauded as having the most innate business acumen of the family-but is it really acumen if your model is simply being really good at creeping Instagram for independent business owners of color and appropriating their ideas?

Kim's Personal Branding

While Kim's many public appearances and magazine covers might not count as enterprises-they're all part of her larger brand. Each magazine cover is a cog in the celebrity wheel, which brings us to Paper Magazine. Her cover was shocking, but mostly due to the racist undertones and implicit mockery of black women. Women like Sarah "Saartjie" Baartman, who was paraded around Europe during the 19th century and used as a freak show exhibit due to her large, shelf-like bottom. Sarah was simultaneously mocked, sexualized, and profited off of, and to this day, black women still receive criticism for their large backsides-the same shape that white women are now making "trendy."

Kim's participation in racial fetishization, whether unknowingly or not, alongside notorious photographer Jean-Paul Goude, further confirms that the Kardashians may not fully consider the impact of their actions before capitalizing on new opportunities. She's received idolization for her figure in a way that women of color have never been given in earnest.
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It's Not Just Kylie Jenner-These 5 Kardashian Enterprises Have Been Appropriated from Black Culture

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The Kardashian family has a long history of appropriation, and continue to build their empire with little regard for the communities from which they borrow (or in some cases, steal). Admittedly

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"Kim has explicitly benefitted from her much-talked-about figure, tapping into an audience that sees her as no ordinary white woman, but instead as an exotic and interesting one."

"It’s a vicious culture that valorizes curves on wealthy, racially ambiguous white women, but stigmatizes these traits on Black women; one that plays into a longtime fascination with the aesthetics of Blackness and an unwillingness to engage with the ugliness of anti-Black racism at the same time."

"Kim has staunchly denied doing Blackface—after she was accused of wearing Blackface for a 2017 KKW Beauty campaign"

"Kardasians normalizing or even popularizing Blackfishing with images of themselves projecting racial ambiguity."

"Ayanna Thompson points to their white privilege, which allows them to adopt Black aesthetics without having to live the Black experience, as a driving force behind their contributions to a new beauty ideal for the mainstream."

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The Kardashians' Legacy of Blackfishing and Appropriation

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'It's no secret that they've adopted many styles that Black women have created and made them more palatable'

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When the Black Gaze Expires: A Kardashian Commentary 

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When the Black Gaze Expires: A Kardashian Commentary 

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When the Black Gaze Expires: A Kardashian Commentary (Part One)

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Why I don't keep up with the Kardashians | Khadija Mbowe

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Why I don't keep up with the Kardashians | Khadija Mbowe

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Why I don't keep up with the Kardashians | Khadija Mbowe

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THE KARDASHIANS/JENNERS HISTORY OF RIPPING OFF BLACK WOMEN & THEIR NEGATIVE IMPACT ON SOCIETY

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THE KARDASHIANS/JENNERS HISTORY OF RIPPING OFF BLACK WOMEN & THEIR NEGATIVE IMPACT ON SOCIETY

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THE KARDASHIANS/JENNERS HISTORY OF RIPPING OFF BLACK WOMEN & THEIR NEGATIVE IMPACT ON SOCIETY.

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KIM Kardashian has been praised for her “diverse” and “inclusive” selection of models for her brand SKIMS.

The show saw models of all shapes, sizes, and ethnic backgrounds strutting the catwalk in Kim’s much-loved shapewear.

“Thank you for showing all types of bodies,”

“This is what I call diversity.”

‘DIVERISTY AND INCLUSIVITY [...] IN OUR DNA" Since she launched SKIMS in 2019

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It comes after women "of every size" walked the runway to flaunt the reality star's latest collection.

Kim, 41, recently posted a clip from this week's fashion show in Los Angeles for her clothing brand SKIMS.

The show saw models of all shapes, sizes, and ethnic backgrounds strutting the catwalk in Kim's much-loved shapewear.

The women were styled in Gianvito Rossi heels and sunglasses by Jacques Marie Mage.

Many fans in the comments of Kim's post were quick to praise her diverse selection of models.

"Thank you for showing all types of bodies," wrote one.

Another agreed: "So glad to see all sizes on the catwalk."

A third wrote: "This is what I call diversity."

Meanwhile, another praised the brand for its "inclusivity".

'IN OUR DNA'

Since she launched SKIMS in 2019, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians alum has been on a mission to promote diversity and body positivity.

Last year, Kim told Vogue: "Diversity and inclusivity are in our brand DNA.

"We started SKIMS with those two elements being front of mind and today they continue to be the driving forces behind ensuring that what we create is for everyone."

According to the SKIMS website, the brand is "setting new standards by providing solutions for every body."

FANS DIVIDED

However, some fans have slammed Kim's products as "disappointing" compared to cheaper alternatives.

Others have criticized the brand's "painfully" small sizing.

But many customers are very satisfied with Kim's curve-hugging offerings, saying the high prices are "totally worth it."

Much like her sisters with their brands, Kim promotes SKIMS using her social media platform.

She often flaunts her famous figure in her own clothes both at home and out in public.

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Kim Kardashian praised for 'diversity' of models in Skims fashion show

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KIM Kardashian has been praised for her "diverse" and "inclusive" selection of models for her brand SKIMS. It comes after women "of every size" walked the runway to flaunt the reality star's latest...

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"'Size equality and diversity is not just a trend’: Kim Kardashian calls for fashion inclusivity at CFDA award"

"Kim Kardashian was honoured at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Awards (CFDA) for her shapewear brand SKIMS."

"The entrepreneur received the first-ever Innovation Award - and used her acceptance speech to call on fashion designers to be inclusive for women's body shapes."

"Following its launch in 2019, Skims is now reportedly worth $3.2 billion."

"While initially launching as a shapewear range, it has since expanded to sell everything from lingerie to swimwear."

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Kim Kardashian was honoured at last night's Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Awards (CFDA) for her shapewear brand SKIMS.

Wearing a striking black strapless latex dress by Dolce & Gabbana, with a transparent bottom and her own SKIMS underneath, the entrepreneur received the first-ever Innovation Award - presented by Amazon Fashion for her shapewear brand SKIMS - and used her acceptance speech to call on fashion designers to be inclusive for women's body shapes.

Alongside Kim was SKIMS co-founder and CEO Jens Grede and founding partner and chief product officer Emma Grede. Kim told the audience, which included the likes of Bradley Cooper, Amy Schumer, Katie Holmes and Christina Ricci:

"We have put a strong emphasis since our launch on continuing to shape the industry to embrace size equality and diversity as a fixture and not just a trend and I see so many of you are doing just that."

Kim was joined by her mother, Kris Jenner, as well as her sisters, Khloe Kardashian, Kendall and Kylie Jenner as she accepted her award.

Elsewhere, Lenny Kravitz received the CFDA's Fashion Icon Award, Raul Lopez picked up the Accessories Design award and the honour for American Emerging Designer went to Elena Velez.

Cher made a surprise guest appearance to present stylist Patti Wilson with the Media Award.

The Board of Trustee's Award was awarded to the late Virgil Abloh, to recognise his contribution to global fashion through his work with Louis Vuitton and brand Off-White.

This is not the first time Kim has been honored at the CFDAs, she received the Influencer Award in 2018.

Following its launch in 2019, Skims is now reportedly worth $3.2 billion. While initially launching as a shapewear range, it has since expanded to sell everything from lingerie to swimwear.

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'Size equality and diversity is not just a trend': Kim Kardashian calls for fashion inclusivity at CFDA awards

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SKIMS founder Kim Kardashian is honoured with Innovation award at CFDA Awards

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"“It Felt Like The Perfect Time To Bring A Fresh Perspective”: Kim Kardashian West On Revolutionising Shapewear"

"It felt like the perfect time to bring a fresh perspective to the shapewear industry that would feel relevant for today."

"How important are diversity and inclusivity for Skims? -We started Skims with those two elements being front of mind and today they continue to be the driving forces behind ensuring that what we create is for everyone and everybody.”

"The brand is just as much about feeling good as it is about looking good."

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“It Felt Like The Perfect Time To Bring A Fresh Perspective”: Kim Kardashian West On Revolutionising Shapewear

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The Skims founder shares her vision for the future of her body-positive brand

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"Two particularly egregious offenders in this regard are Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian. Most, if not all, of the Kardashian sisters have been accused of appropriating Black culture but these two have allegedly outright copied designs from smaller Black creators."