But is it Original?
Chemise à la reine (1783-1790)/Manchester Galleries
With the rise of fast fashion companies, new styles and designs are emerging online every day. A notable amount of designs are not originally created by the companies that sell them. While taking original designs from smaller creators is a prevalent issue, this issue is definitely not a new development, as history displays the many missteps of stealing designs from BIPOC.
Instances such as the “chemise à la reine,” display how BIPOC styles are often taken, rebranded and appropriated in different contexts. The chemise à la reine, characterized by its simple cotton fabric and ruffled neckline, was a popular dress worn by French aristocrats in the late eighteenth century. Though this dress is credited as the creation of Marie Antoinette, it was originally a style worn by Creole people in the French Caribbean colonies. The appropriation of these original garments is reminiscent of the many modern fashion trends pushed by celebrities and fashion conglomerates today.
Marie-Antoinette (1783)/National Gallery of Art | Free West Indian Dominicans (1770)/Metropolitan Museum of Art
History continues to repeat itself. Fast fashion companies frequently steal creations from BIPOC designers. These instances remind us of the hard labor creators give to design and create a piece of clothing, only for fashion conglomerates to reproduce as theirs.
With the lines of copying and inspiration wearing thin in the world of fashion, it is important to provide credit and compensation to original designers. Crediting creators for their work inherently counteracts the cycle of fast fashion and pushes for the recognition of creative property – a basic compensation past creators were not provided.
Mariama Diallo/Twitter
Despite fast fashion companies allowing for accessible fashion, this factor does not diminish the importance of crediting and compensating original designers for their work. The rise of fast fashion brands allows for an awakening that forces buyers to think about the implications of what they purchase. A new nuance is created in which the buyer must realize their purchasing power. By creating consumer awareness of creative stealing that comes with fast fashion, we can encourage the market to shift away from unethical corporations and encourage creative property to remain.
Paige Paulsen