This designer is accused of ‘cultural appropriation’

The brand used a song by two black artists, but didn’t feature any models of colour in the clip

After releasing a new campaign for the brand's summer 2017 collection, designer Tory Burch is being accused of cultural appropriation, reported Teen Vogue. In a video featured on their site, Poppy Delevingne who is supermodel Cara Delevingne’s elder sister, dances alongside other models to Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall's hit song Juju on That Beat.

The issue for many of Burch's fans comes with the fact that the brand decided to use a song by two black artists and not feature any models of colour in the clip.



The other issue is that the video also features a monkey-shaped purse in the passenger seat of the car, and the word has been used as a derogatory insult towards black people throughout history. After the video was released, many people took to Twitter to express their concern with the content.

“But why? Everything in that advertisement screams cultural appropriation and that little monkey purse? I just can't,” said one Twitter user. “Why, white people, WHY? Matter of fact, Tory Burch why did y'all culturally appropriate black song & dance?” added another user.

The music video was directed by Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert, who told Elle Malaysia that she chose to use the song for the video because it is a happy song. “The girls learned the moves very quickly and they had fun,” she said. “The best part was watching them rehearsing and doing the song because they enjoyed themselves for real, which made this whole process very fun.”



Accusations like these are always popping up in the fashion industry. Marc Jacobs drew ire when he sent models down the runway in colourful faux locs created by a white woman, and Victoria's Secret sent costumes with Chinese cultural references down the runway on white models.

Unlike those instances, however, Tory Burch was quick to apologise. "I personally feel badly if this hurt anyone, and I'm truly sorry," she said. However, her comment was deleted shortly after it was posted. The video itself is no longer available to watch on the brand's website as well as their social media pages.

Have something to add in the story? Share it in the comments below.