Is wearing West African prints cultural appropriation?

[CrayCrayMum]

I love bright colours and prints... I have seen some beautiful stuff online that comes from west Africa and I would love to wear some of it. BUT... Is this cultural appropriation? I have a dress that I bought in South Africa and had the same conversation with the shop owner, who thought I was mad, but I realise wearing prints might be seen differently by the African diaspora in the UK. Before anyone climbs into me for being too woke or whatever or having first world problems, you are right! I am and I have. This is a genuine request. I am just trying to not step on anyone's toes and trying to navigate the world with some sensitivity.

No

That picture made me laugh so much.

But why does it matter? A British family on holiday in, say, Texas posing with lassos in cowboy boots and stetsons wouldn’t offend anyone, surely?

As for Harris Tweed, the protection is all to do with financial appropriation and nothing to do with cultural appropriation. It’s the same with Scotch whisky, champagne, Tequila, Cornish pasties and Jersey Royals.

People pretending to be from a different culture or attempting for speak for people from a different culture might well be cultural appropriation, of course.

Exactly. Nobody dresses like that. It's too silly to care about.

The issue about tweed is stuff like this calling itself "tweed". It's dishonest marketing.

This is not tweed
This is also not tweed

And this is not Fair Isle

This is not Fair Isle and the brand is a Chinese drop shipping site despite having"York" in its name

As someone living in Scotland who cares a lot about the quality of clothes and wants to support British wool producers these examples bother me far more.

No, enjoy. West African fabric is sold in many places and used for many designs. It is really beautiful. Even better if you can find companies supporting fair trade.

ok, as a white woman living in east london i can talk about this.
i like you really like ankara fabrics and wax print fabrics.
so much so one winter i made a quilted coat using some.
i’ve made a few now.
and whenever i go out people comment on them admiringly.

and when i say people i mean white people but also many many people of colour.
people have asked me if i sell them.
and frankly if i should get my shit together and monetise it. for a while what was stoping me was the idea of appropriation.
so i began tentatively asking the poc who admired my coats if they considered it appropriation
and their reaction was universally that wearing african printed wax fabrics was not appropriation- unless you make a “costume”
that my coats were brilliant. and they loved seeing me wearing them, that they felt proud of their heritage fabrics and loved seeing them. it didn’t concern them that i was white, but they were annoyed i didn’t make and sell my coats.

so, you should feel confident to wear african printed fabrics, and if you love the colour and prints you are celebrating and valuing them not appropriating them. they are fabrics.

I vaguely remember reading something a few years ago about how it's not originally an African thing. The designs came from Thailand IIRC, but they proved too gaudy for local market tastes and somehow or other they ended up in Africa where people went mad for that particular style.It became a hugely successful export business. I guess it's made in Africa now though. I wish I could remember where I read it.

They were introduced to West Africans by Dutch merchants during the 19th century, who took inspiration from native Indonesian batik designs.[4]They began to adapt their designs and colours to suit the tastes of the African market

Harris tweed is not a good example. That's not cultural appropriation. It's dishonest marketing of a lower quality product as "Harris tweed" same as champagne or Parma ham.

I don’t care if it is.

Thanks for that. I follow some textile/fashion historians on social media, and it may have been one of them. It's fascinating following stories of the old trade routes and how these things we regard as traditional actually came to be.

Harris Tweed has to be made from 100% wool which is dyed, spun and woven on the Outer Hebrides - not just Harris. The Orb mark is your guarantee of authenticity whether you are buying a handbag or a suit.

"Tweed" has no protected status on its own. Donegal tweed for example is also really high quality and is made from pure wool and woven in Ireland. But there are other "tweeds" which are just shitty polyester blends from China.

Exactly this. Surely we would all be better off if we could share the best bits of every culture.

Surely embracing things from other cultures is what brings different groups of people together? Terms like cultural appropriation are meant well but I think they have the opposite effect.

If you're buying in person from a shop it's easy to tell real tweed from synthetic rubbish. One reason I don't buy clothes online is that I can't feel the fabric!

yes they are, aren't they!

It's easy online too. The 2 examples I posted have fabric information. They clearly aren't tweed.

As PP said other tweeds aren't protected in the same way Harris tweed is but it's disgraceful commercial appropriation of the word to call them "tweed".

There shouldn't be a need to say real tweed and synthetic tweed. It's the same as butter and margarine.

Agree. But as you say, fabric composition is usually listed.

^They were introduced to West Africans by Dutch merchants during the 19th century, who took inspiration from native Indonesian batik designs.[4]They began to adapt their designs and colours to suit the tastes of the African market.

This is the company, still going strong today, based in NL.

VLISCO Official | Luxury African Fabrics – Vlisco

I was in The Gambia many years ago and brought a kimono with me, went shopping for fabrics in the market and had tailors make up 4 kimonos for me.

I love them, still wearing them in the summer. They are getting a bit frayed now. They're 26 years old ....😮

I also had dresses made up - kaftan type and some of them I've made into cushion covers. Yes, my house does have African influences, was married to one and have a son. Very important to incorporate his heritage at home too.

Do you check with the mayor of Bologna if you have spag bol for dinner?

I do. Signor Lepore’s office were nice at first but then just hung up on me. So I stopped making spag bol.

I changed to chili con carne and ring the Mexican embassy every week or so. They’re ever so nice, but I can hear the word ‘loco’ in the background when I phone up, so I might change again, probably to something French.

I’ve just bought a lovely pure cotton salwar kameez two piece from Khaadi. Beautiful print and perfect for the hot weather. The assistants in the shop didn’t look in the slightest offended when I bought it and I fully intend to wear it non stop! It just looks beautiful.

You don’t happen to know who could give me permission for yorkies with a roast dinner? Maybe Sean Bean or Jon Snow?

What ethnicity were the people who were judgey?

Wear what you want and forget about this cultural appropriation crap. They’re clothes. Honestly, this nonsense about not being able to wear stuff is just getting ridiculous. How have we got to a point where we’re having normal people questioning whether it’s “right” to wear printed fabrics?!