White Women Wearing My Mother’s Dress
In Selfridges a couple of weeks ago I copped a feel of this Burberry Prorsum dress. It felt exactly as you would expect a £1,795 printed silk crepe de chine dress to — soft and thin and light on the fingertips. Touching it made me recoil. I wanted it to feel soft and strong and unyielding like every piece of fabric my mother has turned into a headwrap, or like every pagne my aunts have wrapped around their waists or like every m’boubou ever. The print is deceptive, bright and bold and comfortably geometric. How could it be made of anything other than African fabric? How could it not be tough and tightly textured cotton?
I understand that wax prints specifically, and African influences generally, have been en vogue (and in Vogue) for a while. As well as Burberry Prorsum’s Spring 2012 collection see: Christian Dior, Juyna Wanatabe, Spring 2009. Marc by Marc Jacobs, Spring 2010. L.A.M.B., Spring 2011. Marni, Vivienne Westwood, Autumn 2011. Derek Lam, Louis Vuitton (Mens), Spring 2012. I can guiltily admit to admiring individual pieces – my lust for Marc Jacobs’ Spicy shoes is indecent – but I’d never buy or wear them. Trends are built to be fleeting, paying attention to them is exasperating enough, when they take on things I enduringly love they become frustrating, bordering on insulting.
To me wax print material was always known as fabric, just fabric, as in “Bring me my fabric scarf I want to wrap my hair up,” or “Make sure your fabric dress is ironed in time for church tomorrow morning,” as though this was the first material to ever exist and all other textiles have more descriptive names because they need to distinguish themselves.
Wax print is now the standard issue term and Google searching it returns in 0.32 seconds results which all in some way reference Africa. It is taken for granted that today when we talk about wax prints we’re talking about a type of drawn, blocked, and dyed prints that are African. Even though wax print clothing is also made in China, even though batik like prints are thought to have descended from Indonesia, even though a number of longstanding wax print manufactures operate out of Europe. This fabric’s identity is wrapped up in that of the resource rich, 54 state continent.
Wax prints mean a lot to me. When I see them I think of old school family portraits, of people I’m related to way back when, miles away wearing terse expressions, dressed matter-of-factly in bright and complicated patterns. I think of family gatherings, celebrations, christenings, marriages, birthday parties, reunions which are always riots of colour and repeated shapes. Tough cotton wrapped around heads, tough cotton draped over shoulders, tough cotton tightened around waists, clashing with tough cotton blouses, and matching leather shoes. I think of my aunts and uncles all dressed up on a Saturday night and ready to go a dinner-dance. I think of my mother all dressed down on a Sunday morning, singing hymns, doing housework, my sleeping brother wrapped tightly to her back in yards of fabric. I think of the clothing I’ve inherited, presents I’ve been given, bags, dresses, skirts I rarely wear, bolts of fabric I always do as scarves. I think: this attire is a connection to my heritage, it is clothing comfort food.
I do not want any of these thoughts diluted by appropriation. I feel odd and displaced when willowy-limbed high fashion models catwalk strut in wax prints because then the fabric assumes a new identity. Its intention to clothe African bodies is lost, its meaning is emptied out away from me.
But it’s okay for africans and other races to wear WESTERN clothes?
A lot of Africans and “non westerners” as you call it were born and raised in western nations, so what are they supposed to do, go naked?
Wow this blog has been attracting a ton of brain-dead zombies as of late. I hope you never reproduce.
Reply to : cupcakes and shiraz
I’m a self made multi-millionaire under the age of 25, so no I’m definately not brain dead, I run my own business and company, which requires intilligence. I’m also Nigerian and I dont see the issue with this. We’re fine with using western garments, but they cant use ours? IT’S THE SAME THING. NO DIFFERENCE.
Western clothes? Most of the stuff we were isn’t even made in Western countries.
“We’re fine with using western garments, but they cant use ours? IT’S THE SAME THING. NO DIFFERENCE.”
Agreed! And kudos to ur successes thus far!
@fffff- Sure I believe you’re a self-made millionaire…and I am the Queen of England. We can be whatever we want on the intrawebs, honey. ;)
When I read this article I simply stated that I didnt think there was anything wrong with what the west designers are doing. Then you called me a brain dead zombie who should never reproduce because of my stupidity. It was because you made a jab at me in such a disgusting manner that I brought up that
1) I’m a self made millionaire. If you even read my reply, the emphasis wasnt even on being a millionaire but the fact that I run and own by own succesful business, only reason I mentioned that was to flush down your comment in the toilet.
2) Second of all, I also mentioned in my reply that I was Nigerian and those patterns are fabrics are everywhere in Nigeria, can be bought in any market place. There would be a difference if I was bragging about being a self made millionaire but I only mentioned my accomplishment because you told me to not reproduce, which is a disgusting a comment. Who says that to someone else? I replied to this article in a disrespectful manner, only for a person to respond in a disgusting way. And I wouldnt like about things for like this, what’s the point of lying on a article online? See no point in that. The only reason I mentioned it is because you called me a braindead zombie who shouldnt reproduce, instead of lowering myself to your level and calling you bad names, I just made sure you know I’m succesful and I dont need to be disrespectful back or call you names.
I accidently wrote that ”I replied to this article in a disrespectful manner” but I ment in a RESPECTFUL manner. Blah, dont like writing on my ipad, I become so clumsy then.
Cheers.
@ffff
Many West African countries are becoming westernised so there is no reason that many shouldn’t wear western style clothes. Maybe you have forgotten about colonisation and it affect on the continent.
Western civilisation does not mean white. Western culture is a universal culture that trancends race. Many of the western nations were built by the descendants of Africans so it is ludicrous that you suggest Africans should not wear western clothes and be able to speak against cultural appriopration.
LOL
@cupcakes and shiraz I am the Queen of England. We can be whatever we want on the intrawebs, honey. ;)
@ ffff,
Your argument is real weak my brother or sista oo! This isn’t about it being right or wrong to wear Western/African clothes, heck it is not a competition. The issue here is, the continual cultural misappropriation and degradation!
-By the way, congrats on being a millionaire. I like to see my pipoz doing it real big and proper. Now, get on that Forbes list magazine, and let’s get married.
@Cupcakes: …but Africans in Africa wear western-style clothes. Western-style clothes are worn just about everywhere! fffff does make a good point. People all around the globe make and wear jeans, which are originally from the USA.
My question is, why aren’t more African designers doing this? and selling at a reasonable price? They have the connects for the textiles (and can probably even bargain for a fairer price), but from my experience, most African designers I find are based in London and only target the top couture market, so their prices are in the thousands…which I can’t afford.
Fashion should be allowed to borrow whatever if wants. I don’t like the use of “tribal” unless it can be linked to an actual tribe. If not, it should be called West African, Ghanaian, or whatever it actually is.
In a larger context we don’t seem to be able to make as money off our own culture(s) as much as culture vultures are able to do and that’s the real issue. Can an African/ African American designers use their own culture and be seen as innovative and cutting edge? I remember when Carrie for sex in the city had a name plate necklace. Black girls have been rocking them since the early 80′s, somehow on Carrie it was seen as “fashion forward” and on us “hood” wear. There is a problem when other people can make more money off our culture than we can. Some how our “association” with black fashion makes it hard to market to other groups, but let a white person “appropriate” it and it’s a hit. This has a lot to do with economics as well.
There is a lot of truth in what you said. Although it is easier for an household name like Burberry to make it a “trend” or fashionable.
Don’t be dramatic with the title, please. This is not your mother’s ACTUAL dress. Also, that is the nature of fashion. Hello! It borrows from different inspirations around the world, from different time periods, etc. If it never progressed, was never daring, we’d still be walking around in mammoth skins. And I think we can all agree that mammoth skin makes us all look fat.
I sincerelt hope that all these fabrics are actually helping an african, because if designers are just buying from manufacturers then that would a shame. I have nothing against other women from other cultures wearing African fabrics, as long as someone back in Africa is benefitting I am all for it.
Cultural appropriation at its finest…