'Stella McCartney accused of cultural appropriation at Paris Fashion Week show'

01:39 Nov 4, 2021 7 5

'Meanwhile some  were merely bemused that an everyday garment worn by African women had been elevated to high fashion.  And it goes without saying that the lack of women of colour wearing the designs did not go unnoticed.  Reviews of the show tended to focus on McCartney\'s focus on sustainability (invites were sent out on \"trashion bags\" in a neat little Zoolander-esque fashion in-joke, and her re-working of 80s silhouettes and materials (including stone wash denim - apparently it\'s back?).  As the London Telegraph noted of the collection, \"Millennials are shopping with an eye to sustainability, and McCartney\'s high-design fashion with a conscience ticks the box. There are low-heel courts, ruffled peep toes, and crocodile-embossed chunky flat sandals trimmed with gold chain. And whether you\'re keen to shop ethically or not, they are, honestly, very good.\"  But what about the ethics of using African prints in the context of a fashion show?   It\'s a tricky thing, cultural appropriation in fashion. Because while it may be true that there is no such thing as an original idea, and designers will always pay homage to eras, places, communities, techniques and aesthetics that inspire them, that also doesn\'t mean helping yourself carte blanch to other cultures.  When does \'borrowing\' become problematic, nay racist? When the context is missing? When the representation of the culture isn\'t properly and fairly realised? When it\'s plain old insensitive? When the balance is out of whack?  P' 

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