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Wouldn’t it be offensive if your cultural heritage was immortalized in underwear? The tribe was forced to rename more than 20 products it deemed objectionable, including the Wrapped Flask, and sent them to retailer Urban Outfitters. Collector Weekly.
The Navajo Nation holds a trademark with the name “Navajo” and cannot be used to sell mass-produced hoodies, knee socks, etc. Also, the Federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 prohibits products from being classified as Native Americans. It is illegal to falsely sell products as made in America. Yet more and more Native American-inspired fashions grace the runways of big cities and the pages of glossy magazines. From fashion-forward cardigans to luxurious handbags to leather he bracelets, designs inherited from Native Americans are in vogue.
Hicks spoke with Professor Jessica R. Metcalf of Turtle Mountain Chippewa at Arizona State University. She blogs about her non-native Americans producing “native” fashion in her buckskin beyond.
The problem is they publish as “this is native” or “this is native inspired”. So now you have non-native people representing us in mainstream culture. The question now is not only who will represent the Native Americans, but who will benefit.
For some, the biggest offender is the Pendleton Wool Mill, founded in 1863 to produce blankets and robes for the Indian trade, a famous pro-Native American. expanded to produce high-end coats, bags and other products. The fact that you’re profiting off the sale of a $500 sweater featuring your design can feel like a betrayal.
“I see hipsters marching down the street in Pendleton clothes and I see these bloggers wow about how ‘cute’ these designs are.” And it upsets me to see non-native models all wrapped up in a Pendleton blanket. I’m here.
As an Indigenous people I feel ownership over these designs, so I have mixed feelings, but on a rational level, I realize that they may not always be ours. feels like there is one more thing non-natives can take away from us. For example, aren’t our lands, moccasins, headdresses, beadings, religions, names and cultures enough?
Read the full article, “Why ‘Native’ Fashion Trends Make Real Native Americans Angry,” online for more striking examples of Native American influence on fashion, past and present.
Source: Collector’s Weekly
Image: Detail of a Pendleton 9-element robe first introduced as an Indian trade blanket in the 1920s robe language By Laine Parrish (above). “Navajo Hipster Panties” from Urban Outfitters (center). A fashion shot of the Pendleton toboggan (below).
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