It was appropriation. I am not afraid to say that, because it's true. Galliano put forth a war bonnet in a Dior collection in the '90s, and that would never fly today. But we were already starting to see conversations during the 1990s about, for example, how it would be better that a Chinese designer do a China-inspired collection, rather than a Western designer or European designer looking to Chinese culture. My challenge was to address that this was a big part of '90s fashion and that this idea of the global wardrobe was something that was celebrated.
It’s fine to look at it through our 21st-century eyes, but we also have to do that with some understanding and acknowledgement that absolutely no way would you do this Dior collection now. We’ve moved forward, and that's fantastic.
In general, this idea of globalism was more about possibilities for travel, this idea that the world was getting smaller. If you read interviews with Jean Paul Gaultier, he talks about how his work, which is considered cultural appropriation today, was his way of celebrating other cultures, saying how he went to these places. He thought they were beautiful, and that's the reason he wanted to work them into his collections. But now, of course, we're more aware of the implications—the overlooking of people who are making these styles and not including them, acknowledging them, paying them. It was problematic, and we're much more aware of that now.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qa3RqZyrq5KWx6Kt0WeaqKVfm660tMiopWisopq7pb%2BOoGpubGdnf3V%2Bjp%2BYrKCZpLtutc1mq6GdXaO2r7HTopysZWFuhnG%2FjKGgoKBdm660tMiopWasopq7pb%2BMn6CtZZ2qwKbBzGg%3D