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Valentino Collection Essay

Decent Essays

A similar situation occurred during the Paris Spring/Summer 2016 Fashion Week with the Valentino collection. The collection was African inspired, “described as primitive and wild”

with clothing, accessories and hairstyles all originating from what the designers regarded as “tribal Africa” (Chung). Valentino’s team explains “the collection expresses totemic and primordial grace” and describes the use of long tunics, mask motifs, and terracotta jewelry as manners of representing African “ancestral taste”, connection to nature, and “regal grace” (“Spring/Summer”). From my perspective, describing the collection as wild and tribal should have sparked more conversation than it did, as the language used is belittling of African culture as it assumes …show more content…

In the fashion industry, Valentino’s work has always been seen as some of the finest. This may be why criticism over the clothing and accessories were left out of the scandal, because separately they were seen as justified uses of cultural appropriation. The concern of morality is linked specifically to the runway show, and the explanation is more of an issue of racism in the modeling industry. The runway show received the most backlash for the models used. Like in the Vogue issue, the design house was criticized for using mostly Caucasian models (Chung). It is interesting to note the major criticism of the show was the models used not the clothing itself as it supports the sensitivity of race and that the use of race as an element of artistry is deemed culturally inappropriate. I agree, it would have been more culturally appropriate to use African American models if Valentino was trying to accurately depict an African culture in fashion; however, the purpose of the collection was to adapt culture. I am not justifying racism in high fashion modeling, rather defending the use of Caucasian models to symbolize the collection was a form of adaptation. According to Nicklas and Linder, this basis provides why the collection received disapproval since adapted works often “[run] counter to the ideas of connoisseurs of the original” (2). These insights are beneficial for my claim as they highlight some members of the audience do not understand culture can be used as inspiration and therefore is a starting point from which adaptation can occur. Future collections by design houses should make the sources of their adaptation and inspiration more explicit. Particularly because designers draw on other cultures because they find them beautiful and unique, making their admiration known will help clarify their intent. Additionally, they should highlight that adaptation is not

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