Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail 650 BREAK DOWN The fashion house Valentino spent shooting an advertising campaign for spring-summer 2016 in the Kenyan Amboseli National Park surrounded by representatives of the local Maasai tribes, shot by American photojournalist Steve McCurry. Creative director Maria Grazia and Pierpaolo Picciolo Currie developed in the campaign traybalicheskie motives that inspired them to create spring-summer 2016 models specific to Aboriginal African hairstyles and dresses in the art of patchwork and blurred as if bleached floral prints and and ornamental embroidery and decorations of beads and feathers posing against the backdrop of the Masai huts and savanna landscapes. Not sure if it’s just the campaign shoot that is Masai inspired or if it’s the whole look book, but there is already one or two social media critique. This collection is likely to be very popular on the following basis. All mainstream collections from international brands really have run their limit and only go further when they include some foreign, especially African, influences. Not only because it’s admirable, but because those who critique them for cultural misappropriation usually contribute a lot to their authentic promotion. More Articles You Would Love VIDEO: Watch Davido Furious After His Diamond Engraved Watch Gets Stolen Right Off His Hand In Ghana Lauren Haute Couture Takes Formal Wear To The Next Level In Stunning New Outfit Rocked By Cookie Tee Yes, I get it, a lot of people including myself feel a way about cultural misappropriation. Yes, Africa has been colonized and disrupted and it’s still getting on its feet, and no one likes to see big fashion houses from the countries that contributed to this make money off from African culture. But here is why seeing Valentino embracing or incorporating the Masai elements into their designs bothers me not. in late 2015 we covered Nairobi Fashion Week and Swahili Fashion Week. NFW featured most designers from Kenya, and SFW featured a lot from Tanzania. In this day and age with the growing popularity of African fashion, where the most selling earrings on our online Ghanaian boutique at www.fashionghana.com/shop are the Kenyan masai made beaded earrings, I was ecstatic and looking forward to seeing how Kenyan and Tanzanian designers (where the Masai tribe is heavily based) will take this fashion phenomenon to the next level. A Masai Woman in Amboselli, Kenya Unfortunately, I don’t recall one fashion designer embracing anything Masai related, I doubt there was any beaded work on the runway. As I am not based in East Africa I can’t query why. Could it be fashion that has come and gone? Who knows, but Don’t take my word for it, see all the designers here; NFW & SFW. It was a shame, because it is an amazing international business opportunity that simply passed them by. Now Valentino does just about that and then there is an outcry. African designers need to be held accountable. Their role should not be simply to make anything out of anywhere just for the beauty. But to expand and turn what was once our tribal, native, cultural or historial attire into modern outstanding beautiful fashion. Which inturn normalizes our culture as well as creates jobs locally. I’m not pointing the right or wrong finger, but if Africa (and not referring to all) have culture and we do not wish to express it, push, support, promote or utlize it at its most then where does the disgruntle come from when its embraced by others. Last year, Ghana Fashion & Design Week restricted showcasing designers from using print. Rumour has it that the organizers claimed that prints are not African (made in). Fair point there are a lot of imported prints, but that is not a 100% true. Amongst some made Ghanaian prints, There is also tye and dye which is made here. And most of all, despite where it’s imported from it’s still our culture. Such acts then makes one question if Ghana embraces this fashion week, why do we outcry when Viktor and Rolf does just that and drops a collection of print clothes. I hate to be one of those that gives a perspective against the grain just to sound different, but one can’t complain about others embracing your culture when you shy away from it. And I do want us to cry cultural misappropriation everytime it stands out, but not if the culture is not even being appreciated by those complaining about it or those who are related to it. I’ve not seen one Masai related look book from any Kenyan based designer or atleast within my 4 years of fashion blogging. With that said, let’s look forward to African fashion designers taking great advantage to enhance and modernize their amazing cultures. And if you are disappointed when foreigners do it, let them know. But also start complaining to your local designers and show organizers and question why they are neglecting their own heritage. For now see the Masai inspired campaign image below by Valentino. See more Race Related Articles Here. [su_carousel source=”category: 4257″ limit=”10″ link=”post” width=”620″ height=”230″ items=”2″ autoplay=”12000″] african fashioncultural misappropriationdesignerfashionmasaivalentino Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail Nana Tamakloe Founder of FashionGHANA.com and Accra Fashion Week. I'm grateful you visited, I hope you share, subscribe and share your comments or opinions below. More For You #BIKINIBAE: Motherhood Never Looked So Haute; Check Out These Jaw-Dropping Swimwear Looks By... #OOTD: Miss Universe Cameroon’23 Princesse Issie Takes Moan Yesus Amazing ‘ASSIMBA’ Dress For... The 2024 Trending Take Over, The Rich History, The Prideful Culture Of Fulani... 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This tribe still live in precary conditions, for example, no clean water, no swagage, those houses are made of cows excrement, you can’t count how many flies are sitting on babies faces, malaria is still a huge issue in this communities and it’s probably the main case of death in this areas, there are some schools but the literacy level is very small…..anyway, I can keep going So after that trip I came back to my home town where I saw these Valentino adds with beautiful models and fabulous clothes…. The contrast of these 2 worlds of fashion vs extreme poverty on the same context, was very repulsive The clothes, colors and designs of the clothes worn by Masai is espectacular and great for a unique photography collection, but for a fashion campaign? It would be sort of similar to do a shooting in one of the favelas in Brazil… Probably if people have a chance to visit these communities the view would be different Log in to Reply Leave a Comment Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.