The Difference Between Cultural Appreciation and Cultural Appropriation In Fashion

In my blog this week, I'd like to touch on the topic of Cultural Appreciation and Cultural Appropriation. There is a huge difference between appreciating someone's culture and appropriating it. In the world of fashion it is no different. Designers from all over the world have beautiful cultures and have amazing ways to incorporate their culture in their work. But unfortunately not everyone see it that way. Other designers will take designs from other cultures with little to no research. Making their design not turn to the culture at all. 

A brand that is Cultural Appreciation is House Of Wandering Silk,

The owner of this brand is Katherine Neumann, while she was from Sydney Australia, she traveled all over the world, as well as a humanitarian aid before creating her brand. The brand works too, and I quote "The brand works with a network of partners from across India and beyond. The focus is on keeping India’s most beautiful textile traditions alive – through the production of one of a kind pieces, zero waste and small batch textiles, clothing and accessories of the highest quality." The brand tries to help tell the story of the beautiful culture of India. The brand also states "The clothing is handmade from the beginning to the end. The brand’s goal is simple and strong: to provide fair-paid, dignified and sustainable livelihoods for marginalized women, empowering them to achieve economic independence and create better lives for themselves, their families and their communities. I really like the outlook of this brand. Instead of just taking the patterns or calling the products something different. The owner takes time to learn more about the culture of India, and provide the workers with as much help as they can get. 

A brand that is Cultural Appropriation, is Gucci,

In 2019, Gucci tried to release a $890 Balaclava, that only does up to the your nose with bright red lips. The brand got a lot of backlash, with how the sweater looks black face. Black people have been steroptyped as people with large lips and really dark skin. Due to old cartoons, and with even some current ones the sterotype lives on. The brand already has a lack of diversity of workers, so when the brand attempted to apologiez, almost no one accepted it. This brand could start with hiring more people of color. After that the brand can have more people to look at the products before they are released to the public, as well as spot things that may look like something else. Gucci could have also done some research about black culture before releasing this sweater. Even though the brand claimed tha the sweater isn't suppose to look like this. You could tell where they got the inspiration from. 

As a white person I can go about my daily life without worrying about people saying mean words or trying to do harm to me. But that is not the case for everyone. It is important to educate ourselves, as well as listen to other people of color. There are so many brands that make beautiful things that are made by people of color. Inside of buying something from a brand like Gucci for example, you can spend your money supporting other people of color. It is hugely important we take time to research other cultures before we try to take something from it. Due to that it's best when a brand does research before they try to attempt to release something inspired by other cultures.