This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Cultural Appropriation as Archives : Media and Cultural Analysis Assignment C

fashion1

This page has annotations:

This page is referenced by:

Appropriated Fashion in the Twenty-first Century Cultural appropriation of fashion does not stop with history. Nowadays, festival culture is extremely prominent, and during these festivals people dress up decorating themselves with bindi's on their forehead from India, Native American headdresses and aztec prints, and even Kimono's from Japan. These are just a few examples of clothing that have been taken away from their original purpose, meaning, and tradition and transformed into their own new archives (the archive of festival clothing).

The archive of festival clothing has rapidly risen over the years because celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Kendall Jenner, Katy Perry and Vanessa Hudgens, to name a few, showcase clothing and accessories in their performances. Along with this, high-end fashion designers appropriate cultures into their clothing, further spurring controversy on the internet and social media platforms.

One of the conversations on twitter led to talk about the London-based fashion line, KTZ, which appropriated Native American prints in their clothing during New York Fashion Week in 2015. The designer, Marjan Pejoski discussed the topic and clarified that it was part of the purpose to incorporate indigenous styles with Western cuts, as it was the first time showcasing the clothing in the United States. However, the designer was still criticised as on twitter, writer Lauren Chief Elk stated "This isn't inspiration...It's straight up appropriation and theft, of Indigenous people who are CURRENTLY using their own culture in design" (Elk).