Bold African Prints and traditional clothing

[TheHallouminati]

This is my first time posting on style and beauty as I'm not really a follower of fashion but I wanted opinions from those who do.
I love the style of clothing found on this website Heritage Clothings but as a Caucasian woman with very pale skin, blue eyes and mousy brown blah kind of hair I'm wondering if these prints might wash me out and look kind of silly?
Does anyone have any thoughts please? I can't find any white models on the website either so I also worry that there's the risk of cultural appropriation? I don't know if anyone here would have insight to that either?
TIA

I have no fashion insight sorry but couldn’t not comment. Some of those items are stunning! Is the quality good do you know?

I haven't bought anything yet as they're not cheap and wanted some opinions.
The quality does look good, doesn't it - the cut and material.
I love the Thandiwe dress in both colours 😍

There’s something suspect about that website.
have a look at faq.

and the trust pilot reviews are only 2 months old. And so many people have bought multiple dresses……….

buyer beware.

(I have an African print dress, bought in a store in South Africa). It’s beautiful, but I struggle to find the right social occasion to wear it.

What lovely dresses. One or two patterns maybe more ethnic (not sure if that’s the right pc term nowadays) but most of the dresses you could wear.

I’d wear them and would choose the dresses that suit my colouring (autumn season).

https://kemitelford.com/collections/skirts

Kemi Telford is another African- inspired dress designer and her clothes are worn by everyone, and the models on her site are from all nationalities.

Oh really?! I don't see it at all!
What in the FAQs has made you suspicious? I did come across it on Facebook ads so maybe that's a clue?
Sorry for linking to a potentially dodgy website 😱

I see what you mean about finding the right social occasion, it's not stuff I would wear everyday and my life isn't exactly filled with exciting events

You could also have a look at zuri. It's good enough for Sarah Millican and Hilary Clinton.

I wouldn’t go near that Heritage Clothing site or buy anything online from a company you’re unfamiliar with. Reviews show that they won’t accept returns even when they’ve sent the wrong thing.
a out the colours, you need to find a shop in real life and try things on to se e what suits you.

I would also recommend Kemi Telford. Very mainstream, (I think stocked by John Lewis?) and worn by a wide variety of women.

Re cultural appropriation surely that is relevant if it's, say, a designer taking prints relevant to a different culture and passing them off as their own? Or wearing items of deep cultural/ religious significance when one is not of that culture/ religion?

If businesses owned by people of colour are missing out on potential customers because of concerns about this, it only serves to further entrench inequality.

I see what youre saying, I dont agree with religious signs and imagery being used in fashion But then the sharing of ideas and designs has been a constant and yes people who are very creative have made a living from it but thats existed for centuries. If you are saying people own their own cultures designs and developments then where does that end? The three piece suit was developed in England in line with breaking away with French inspired fashion and develop something more in line with English culture - does that mean nobody else in the world can design or possibly wear the three piece suit? Some of the best three piece suits are not just found in Britain, some of the very best ive seen have been Italian made suits. Many people have got rich starting their own take on a development thats part of another's culture (if you want to assign ownership), of all ethnicities.

I'm a pale ginger Irish woman and I happily buy and wear Ankara fabric clothing. I make sure that the print does not hold a particular tribal significance and that the colours suit my skin colour. I have had nothing but approval from people of African heritage, it has usually been a chance to connect over a love of colour and appreciation of the culture.

I've never bought anything but Heritage has been around for a while and is often suggested on here.

Their refund policy on sale items is wrong (store credit not refund) UK distance selling right to refund applies to sale items.

On "cultural appropriation" Kemi Telford has been around for ages and is stocked by John Lewis. There's no reason for white women not to wear this.

Sika is similar- i first heard of it in the Times and Anthropologie did a collab.

https://www.sikadesigns.co.uk/

https://www.anthropologie.com/en-gb/sika

Oh I'm in agreement with you re sharing of ideas and cultures ideas and the arts etc.

I think it could be problematic when a big company makes money from a particular culture without even referencing them let alone crediting anyone. I wouldn't criticise individuals using cultural references.

I also see the concept of cultural appropriation getting misused (appropriated?!) as an excuse for people who feel embarrassed by their own relative privilege to virtue signal.

My point was more that even if one is going down a more hard-line cultural appropriation route, it doesn't make sense to say that white people shouldn't be spending their money at businesses owned by people of colour.