As in last year’s Spring collections, which featured “bohemian and Native” inspired fashions (see above photo), we see a re-hashing of the same this year, however less in clothing lines, and moreso in accessories such as bags, jewelery, and shoes. So it seems, every goddamn spring, an inspiration deprived “fashion” designer – from Euro-trash haute couture to a Brooklyn wannabe haute couture – re-hashes the same tired ass “Native American/Tribal” theme replete with feathers, braids, fringe, bead-work, silver, more feathers, and in none too inspirational ways.

Questions of identity, co-optation and exploitation, also cyclically, and just as redundantly as the collections themselves, arise:

Why do they perennially use the Native theme for their Spring collections?

Why do they use quasi-Native looking models who are not Native? Or maybe they are, and in which case, why do these models tolerate such onerous stereotyping?
Why do they conflate all North American Indigenous tribes with one homogenous feather-festooned aesthetic?

Why do they think they have the right to do so?

and, why does this shit cost so damned much money?

Take our friend-o’s at Brooklyn’s “LoveBrigade” a one stop shop for all things Billy-burg hispter. Their Spring collection titled “Namehato” from 2007 featured native inspired silk screened prints on earth toned fabrics. Not too disimilar from our good lady Vivienne Westwood, who in 2007 used native inspired silk screened prints on earth toned fabrics and Leonard Peltier as her Indian mascot. Of course, her models were Native inspired as well (see image above). I tried contacting the publicist for Ms. Westwood’s Anglomania line to ask her about the Leonard connection, but no avail.
Honestly, I am curious to know why this theme, “Native/Tribal”, is trotted out almost every spring in one form or another. I’m just so curious, really, from their perspective, a non-Native design perpsective, why these time-worn tropes in fashion and film are used over and over again, and in similar, if not exactly, the same way season after spring season. But, not so much in music right? I mean when’s the last time you heard some “Indian chant,” and I don’t mean “Om Shanti” type shit either, in a rock or pop song? Well actually, there was that time in 2005 when Andre from OutKast infamously conflated all kinds of contrasting and stereotypical “slightly Native” cultural accoutrements for his Grammy performance of his powwow song “Hey Ya!”.

Anyway, it behooves a questioning agent to go to the source and that is the designer.
Perhaps the kids at LoveBrigade might be more amenable to answering our (my) questions?

Doubtful, but we shall see.

Post-Note:

Love Brigade’s “Namehato” spring collection does have some cute shit I’d love to buy if it were not so fucking expensive. However, the written prologue to their lookbook is just plain stupid. I get what they are going for: ironic self-aware racism. However, I know the owners of LoveBrigade are not Native nor do they know anything about contemporary indigenous concerns, nor do they give a fuck to engage in anything having to do with indigenous concerns-cultural, political, or artistic. And, I am certain they are aware that the use of the sterotypes they employed in this prologue are racist and perpetuating. Their use of the word “squaw” is disheartening because I know they are well educated culturally saavy kids.

Shame on them for willfull insensitivity and for being 25 year old hispter fuck assholes who live, uninspiredly, in Williamsberg. For shame!