November 22nd, 2022
Content Warning: This article contains discussions of racism and mentions of racially motivated violence
Fashion is wonderful. It allows people to express and celebrate who they are, and create art that doesn’t have to be kept in a gallery. But clothes can also reveal things about the people who design them, and the society that influences them. It’s important that we, as the consumers of these products and viewers of the runways they come from, take a step back and analyze who the current fashion is benefitting, and who is being left behind.
In an era where buying dozens of cheap copies from fast fashion brands is vastly cheaper than buying one well-made authentic version, originality is hard to come by. Unfortunately, this doesn’t end in retail spaces. Taking another’s design and passing it off as your own is very common on the runway, and the theft is usually by white designers, at the expense of people of colour. This is more than just stealing, though. It’s cultural appropriation, and it reinforces the systems of racism and white supremacy by removing people of colour as the deciders of what happens to articles of their own culture.
To this day, people of colour are mocked, turned away from jobs, assaulted and even murdered for wearing their traditional clothing, hairstyles, and makeup, only for the very people who hurt them to turn around and commend a white designer for the exact same thing, just on a white model.
At the very least, this type of cultural appropriation takes opportunities away from racial minorities in the very white dominated field of fashion design.
So, what can we do to combat cultural appropriation? Unfortunately, racism is systemic, which means it is baked into just about everything, and it will take an entire cultural, social, and economic reset to completely get rid of it. But there’s still little ways you can help. Look into your favorite designers and brands. Do they have a racist past? If so, you may want to consider not supporting them anymore. Remember, fashion that starts on the runway usually makes its way to fast fashion brands quickly. Think about the impact before you buy. If you’re not sure about something, it’s better safe than sorry. If you can, support brands that empower people of colour. Where and how you spend your money drives culture. Thinking about fashion, while it may not seem like it, is a way to either fight against, or promote racism.
Most importantly, educate yourself, and your friends, family, and peers. Your beliefs don’t matter unless you actually put them into effect, and in a world where there is incredible taking place against people of colour every single day, staying silent is not neutral complacence, it’s cooperation.
By Trella Bondy
Categories: Fashion
