Was there black cultural appropriation occurring on the runways of Paris this past week? The Internet certainly thought so.
In Junya Watanabe's spring/summer 2016 show, the Japanese designer, who also creates collections for Comme des Garçons, sent a slew of models down the runway at an African-themed show.
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The only problem: All of the models were white, causing Twitter to spark a conversation on whether the show was inappropriate.
#JunyaWatanabe #TeenVogue if you use our culture, use the skin and the kind of hair wich work with... Black models exist ! Thank you !— Stephanie Swi (@Swi_Stephanie) June 29, 2015
Some nerve MF! OUR culture but not US. Those European/Caucasian men just look stupid & making a mockery of African culture. #JunyaWatanabe— PRODUCER ST (@st4ent) June 29, 2015
Oh fashion. We still have a long way to go. #JunyaWatanabe— N O Ë L L Y S A M (@NoellySam) June 28, 2015
The looks on the runway included Watanabe's signature patchwork shirts and trousers, a few pieces in batik-printed fabrics and Masai beaded necklaces. Some models were accessorized in African shields and spears, others in dreadlocks. The latter drew comparisons to Rachel Dolezal, the NAACP leader who recently stepped down after it came to light that she had been misrepresenting her race.
who wore it best: junya watanabe s/s 16 or rachel dolezal? pic.twitter.com/Z7ISApz6d6— Four Pins (@Four_Pins) June 26, 2015
rachel dolezal 4 junya watanabe— bigcitykid (@mazuriricola) June 26, 2015
Junya Watanabe Spring/Summer 2016: The Rachel Dolezal Collection. pic.twitter.com/q4TYOK9dWs— Jian DeLeon (@jiandeleon) June 26, 2015
To Watanabe's credit, the African aesthetic isn't a new concept he's brewed: He's used it before in his spring/summer 2009 collection. And he's not afraid of diversity, either. Just last year for his fall/winter 2015 show, he put on an all-black runway show, paying homage to sapeurs, dandies of the Congo.