Fast Fashion and Cultural Appropriation of Indigenous Communities
Having your creations overlap with another artist’s, intentionally or not, is a common occurrence. But what happens when people intentionally copy other designers' work, especially the work of native people creating cultural clothing? Although fashion and culture will always be interconnected, it becomes an issue when traditional clothing becomes exploited and disrespected for a quick cash grab. Fast fashion companies are commonly known to steal from historically marginalized groups, contributing to the deep-rooted systemic oppression of these people.
Image Credit: Scott Oliver
According to Forbes, women in Guatemala pass down the art of weaving, dyeing, and designing clothing from generation to generation. Taking months to complete, each item is made carefully by hand. This art is sustainably created and produced using locally grown avocados, flowers, vegetables, herbs, and bark to create vivid colors. The various geometrical shapes and designs featured in the clothing often represent natural motifs, such as plants, flowers, and insects, per Mil Milagros. However, the current ultra-fast fashion model, with its cheap rates and rapid production rate, has begun to replace this process. People have begun to choose cheaper, more accessible imported clothing over local textiles. Major fast fashion companies have also started to steal traditional Guatemalan designs and recreate cheaper versions to sell to uneducated or unsuspecting consumers. This devalues the work of Guatemalan citizens and creates a power imbalance between the industry and native workers.
Image Credit: https://www.loganmuseumexhibits.com/huipil-precolonial-history
According to Thred, in 2021, the Mexican Ministry of Culture claimed that Zara and Anthropologie had stolen the country's indigenous designs and used them for profit. Although Zara is a Spanish brand, it is ranked the largest fast fashion company and supplier in the US, according to a graph on Bloomberg Second Measure. Anthropologie, however, is a US-founded company, created in Wayne, Pennsylvania, in 1992. Without giving any form of tribute or compensation, the companies successfully appropriated designs from the indigenous people of southwestern Oaxaca. To the native people, they represented the environment, history, and ancestry of the community. Zara specifically has received backlash for producing dresses similar to the huipil garments that are traditionally worn by Mixtecan women, items that take local artisans up to a month to make. Anthropologie has also been called out for replication and reproduction of textiles originally produced by the Mixe community and for copying the style of hazme si puedes (“make me if you can”) patterns – intricate colorful/white lace embroidery that is used on dresses and shirts – of the Zapotec community. These colonized areas have been deemed fashion sacrifice zones: communities and natural systems that are “deemed as disposable for the sake of growth,” as described by Fashion Act Now’s Sandra Niessen.
Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters are no better. In fact, as a part of their Columbus Day sale in 2011, Forever 21 ironically sold multiple Native American inspired items on their website, per Huffington Post. In this sale, they printed numerous traditional patterns onto articles such as hoodies, swim trunks, and shirts. In 2016, Urban Outfitters released a clothing line with a name stolen from the Navajo Nation, a native tribe and reservation located in parts of Northeastern Arizona, Northwestern New Mexico, and Southeastern Utah. The company used traditional graphics of the tribe to create items such as “Navajo hipster panties” and “Navajo print flask.” This whole affair was actually entirely illegal, and, according to Farmington Daily Times, the tribe argued that it violated the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which made it illegal to sell arts or crafts in a way that falsely suggests they are made by Native Americans. The issue was eventually resolved in 2016, when the two parties reached an undisclosed settlement (via The Guardian).
The fact that these events happened within the past decade is a sign that we, as consumers, must become more conscious of what we are buying. Steering clear of fast fashion websites that do not give credit to the original designers will help give back to indigenous groups. The easiest thing that you can do to help this issue is to educate yourself on where your clothing is coming from and who is producing it. If you ever want to buy a specific pattern or textile, always double-check to make sure that it is culturally appropriate. The best way to do this would be to use a reverse image search and see if any results for traditional clothing pop up. If they do, it's probably best to steer clear of the item. In addition, supporting the indigenous communities directly by purchasing their clothing and textiles will get you that cute shirt in a sustainable manner. Businesses such as B. Yellowtail (based in LA), Ginew (which is actually the only Native-owned denim company in the US according to Sustainably Chic), and Eighth Generation (based in Seattle) are all great options.
By giving credit to historically and systematically oppressed groups, we can actively create a more diverse and well-rounded fashion environment.
Written by Alyx Sheridan
Alyx Sheridan is from the D.C. area. She gained interest in slow fashion through shopping at her local thrift store, and since then has been on a journey to learn more about the industry. Slow Fashion USA is her creative outlet, where she can explore this interest and hopefully inspire readers across the country.