Native/American Fashion: Inspiration, Appropriation and Cultural Identity - Problematics of Cultural Appropriation in Contemporary Fashion

Summary: Native/American Fashion: Inspiration, Appropriation, and Cultural Identity explores fashion as a creative endeavor and an expression of cultural identity, the history of Native fashion, issues of problematic cultural appropriation in the field, and examples of creative collaborations and best practices between Native designers and fashion brands. In this segment, we hear from the first panelist to speak on the topic Problematics of Cultural Appropriation in Contemporary Fashion, Adrienne Keene of Brown University. Her talk is titled “Navajo” Underwear and Headdresses on the Runway: A Look at the Last Five Years of Cultural Appropriation in Fashion. Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation) is assistant professor of American Studies at Brown University. A Native scholar, writer, blogger, and activist, she is passionate about reframing how the world sees contemporary Native cultures. She is the creator and author of Native Appropriations, an internationally recognized blog discussing cultural appropriation and stereotypes of Native peoples in fashion, film, music, and other forms of pop culture. Through her writing and activism, Keene questions and problematizes the ways indigenous peoples are represented, asking for celebrities, large corporations, and designers to consider the ways they incorporate “Native” elements into their work. She is interested in the way Native peoples are using social and new media to challenge misrepresentations and present counter-narratives that showcase true Native cultures and identities.