The Dangers of Political Clout Chasing in Art

By Lily Elwood

Ignorance runs rampant throughout the fashion industry. It has always been a problem in the sense that not everyone is conscious of the ways in which their art is perceived. It seems that even today, many fashion designers and companies are still not taking the problem as seriously as they should be. Many people think that society is becoming too politically correct, but allowing ignorance to remain in the industry is perpetuating a culture of insensitivity.

Courtesy of NPR

My eyes were really opened to this issue while I was watching the current season of  Project Runway; a fashion competition that eliminates one designer a week until there is a final winner. Designer Sergio Gaudarrama (one of the competitors), interested me greatly. Though Guadarrama is a fantastic designer, in an episode of the show, he created a backwards suit that he said was a representation of how America was going backwards in terms of development, especially under the Trump presidency. He then said that he believed that America was great maybe back in the 1950s, to which judge Elaine Welteroth replied that the 1950s were not a great time for women and people of color. Now, I’m sure Sergio was not meaning offense, but clearly his ignorance of what the 1950s were really like is a problem. Often, designers in the fashion industry don’t mean to be offensive, but because of their ignorance, the message can be dangerous and harmful. After doing some research, I realized that Guadarrama certainly isn’t the only person guilty of this mistake in the fashion industry.

In 2019, WHO Magazine published an article about well-known model Adut Akech. It was an interview where she spoke about the refugee crisis and people’s attitude towards people of color. Alongside the article was a large photo that the magazine claimed was of Akech, however, it was of another Black model. Also in 2019, Gucci had to remove a sweater from their website that resembled blackface, which is when a nonblack person paints their face black and often exaggerates the features of the face to mock black people. In the same year, Burberry featured a hoodie in one of their fashion shows that included a noose around the neck of the model, which received backlash for glamorizing suicide and making it into a fashion statement. In 2018, Dolce and Gabbana created racist promotional videos for their upcoming show in Shanghai that included the mocking of Chinese speech, and ridiculed the usage of chopsticks. Recently, a Black model at the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), refused to wear accessories in a fashion show that were clearly racist, including large plastic lips and ears. The racism lies in the fact that the accessories made a caricature of African American people, using monkey-like features. Historically, black people have often been compared to monkeys and apes by racists in order to dehumanize them and portray them as inferior. Because of this history, the accessories in this fashion show were too strongly reminiscent of the comparison and were extremely offensive. 

This is nothing unusual in the fashion industry, which is a huge problem. It all comes 

down to cultural ignorance. Designers don’t always think about the impact their work may have, and the ways it could be interpreted. All of these examples show levels of ignorance that should not be tolerated in today’s climate. Designers need to be more educated about other cultures, and the negative effect their art might have on a global scale. However, no matter what the issue is, it seems like their consequences are minimal, and continue to make the same ignorant mistakes.

Companies should be educating their employees. It’s about an understanding of other cultures and being sure to not promote cultural appropriation, racism, or general ignorance. It’s important to understand what topics are sensitive and should be taken seriously. The consumer also has a responsibility to hold these companies accountable and reject ignorant, insensitive fashion, regardless of what the original intent may have been. As a customer, you should be educating yourself, and with this knowledge, gain a respect for others and their culture(s). By doing this, the consumer can begin to help in the movement to stop the exploitation of those who are less privileged. It is incredibly important to pay attention and to not be blind when things like this happen. Understand what disrespect looks like, and don’t support companies that promote disrespectful ideals. It’s time for companies to take responsibility and have a deeper awareness of diversity, inclusivity, and respect.