no. 7

Cultural appropriation: What is going on?

If you haven’t seen the upheaval of South Asian creators regarding their reclamation of their traditions, it stirs up the conversation we will have today:

Oh Polly has released a new design for a dress, the Galia (an embellished convertible lace-up gown, feel free to search for a photo). The dress in question is a strapless mini dress with embroidery and various embellishments, with a detachable flowing maxi skirt. Now, the slight issue with this dress is its remarkable similarity to a South Asian suit, a sharara. Of course, as is quite the norm these days, strings of Asian creators, on Instagram and TikTok specifically, have shared the resemblance and the lack of recognition from the brand, which is fair. So why have thousands of people not understood the point and still continued to take influence from other cultures without the necessary acknowledgement?

Time and time again, we have seen this happen – I wrote an extensive essay about it two years ago, and pretty much nothing has changed. Yes, designers and artists get inspired by various cultures because of globalisation, et cetera, et cetera, but when something is so similar or just the same thing, it makes no sense to me. The same thing happened with dupattas. A dupatta is a long, rectangular scarf that is traditionally worn by women in South Asia as a shawl, veil or shoulder wrap. Within the past year, it has become a trend to wear dresses and tops with a scarf, exactly like a dupatta is worn; only now, it is known as the ‘Scandinavian scarf’. Sorry, but Scandinavian how? Again, when South Asian creators pointed out the traditional clothing and how it is not really a Scandinavian trend, no one understood the point. With comments such as, “so every time I wear a scarf around my neck, I have to reference South Asia?” or the more common, “does it even matter?”. Which, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t the most prevalent issue in fashion, but there still should be a conversation. Why are so many people so quick to dismiss South Asia’s influence on fashion and recognise it as one of the global hotspots for craftsmanship and creativity? Why is everything looked at with such a Eurocentric view, when the rest of the world has been vital for so many industries?

I remember I was in a lecture in my first year of university, and we had just started a unit in product management. This was all about product development and covered sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, costing, and crucially, sustainability. Of course, when discussing these aspects, Asia is a key region, with a high percentage of textiles being produced in China, India, Bangladesh, and Turkey. My tutor was explaining this and stated that the only reason that companies would choose to produce there is because of low costs (whether it was labour or materials, or something else in the process). So not because of the immense amount of heritage and artisan skills practised in India, China, or Japan, and not the fact that they have been the global source of textile manufacturing since the sixteenth century. How easy was it for her to say that and not recognise that the origin of production came from these places? I think it’s safe to say I left that lecture without thinking about my actual work at hand.

Going back to the point.

I honestly don’t understand why the industry does this. Although it is acknowledged now, brands will source and produce in India, and put a ‘Made in France’ label on it and deny the association when that was the source of the design and inspiration. Dior used Indian artisans for embroidery and various other processes for about three decades until they came forward and outwardly stated it. Why is this? Or even looking at how and why we view fashion in a Westernised outlook. We always look at London, New York, Milan and, of course, Paris as the fashion capitals of the world. But are those the only fashionable places in the world? Has there not been an amazing legacy of fashion in Lagos, or is Lakme Fashion Week not as big? The narrative needs to shift.

Cultural appropriation has been observed countless times, especially from South Asian cultures. Taking dupattas into a “Scandinavian” scarf, beaded “Ibiza” tops, decorative gems as a bindi for Coachella, “boho” and “hippie-chic”. But this doesn’t just concern clothing. It extends itself to “golden lattes”, spirituality and yoga (in some cases), oiling your hair, and even balaclavas. No wonder people are annoyed. The number of times someone would judge these cultures when worn traditionally, and then turn around and wear the same clothes just because they seem to fit their Western narrative. How?

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Anywhere. But that doesn’t excuse copying a different culture and passing it off as something “new” that you came up with on your own. Fashion is relevant in all cultures. No question.

Recognition is respect, simple.   

By Natasha Joshi