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Chinese protesters claim the Dior skirt is a rip-off of the traditional ‘Mamian’ or ‘horse face’ skirt that was worn in China during the Ming Dynasty.
The rolled skirt has four slits on either side of it and was used for riding centuries ago. Image courtesy: Dior
In the fashion world, robbery is a serious crime and luxury French fashion house Christian Dior is guilty if the Chinese are to be believed. Dozens of students have taken to the streets of Paris to protest Dior, accusing it of cultural appropriation and claiming it copied a classic Chinese skirt design dating back to the Ming Dynasty.
Students demonstrated in front of the Christian Dior store on Avenue des Champs-Elysees in the French capital. They are also threatening to stage similar protests in New York and London, according to several social media posts.
The outfit in question is a $3,800 pleated black skirt from Dior’s fall collection. The brand says the skirt “brings out the idea of community and sisterhood in the look with a school uniform allure.” But the Chinese aren’t buying it.
Let’s take a closer look at the controversy.
What’s wrong with the skirt?
Chinese protesters claim the Dior skirt is a rip-off of the traditional “Mamian” or “horse face” skirt worn in China during the Ming Dynasty.
The bottom of the label, which is made of folded fabric, was bumped by an opinion on People.com. The article said: “The so-called Dior silhouette is very similar to the Chinese horse-face skirt. When many details are the same, why is it brazenly called a “new design” and a “Dior silhouette”?
The only difference people could tell between the so-called Dior rip-off and the traditional Chinese skirt is that the former is calf-length, while the original version of the skirt is floor-length.
However, protesters have demanded that Dior stop all clothing sales at its Paris store. According to New York Post.
According to one South China Morning MailDior’s website in Hong Kong described the skirt as “Dior’s silhouette, the mid-skirt … updated with a new sleek and modern twist.”
The rolled skirt has four slits on either side of it and was used for riding centuries ago.
How has Dior responded?
The company has yet to comment on the controversy.
However, the skirt has been taken off the shelves at Dior online stores in mainland China. The product is still available in other online stores, but its design is not acknowledged to be inspired by traditional Chinese clothing.
According to one Global Times The report, the media outlet received a response to its email to Dior, which said, “Your opinion and suggestions are of great value to us as they allow us to continuously improve our customer service,” and said their message has been forwarded to “department members”.
Previous Dior controversies
Last year in November, Dior displayed a controversial photo at its Shanghai fashion show. It was accused that the company portrayed Asian women as “ugly” and “creepy” with “greasy hair and scary eyelids” dressed in traditional Chinese clothes and carrying a Dior bag.
According to Global Timesthe fashion house said the exhibition was not a commercial advertisement for the brand and that it removed all related content from online and offline platforms.
With data from agencies
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