And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 22:36:23 -0400
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Lynne Moss-Sharman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Donna Karan NY designer appropriates designs
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9/12/99 New York designer's native-inspired lines worry
aboriginals
Jennifer Pritchett
The Ottawa Citizen
When New York clothing designer Donna Karan opens a new Madison Avenue boutique in the
coming days, traditional aboriginal designs from Canada's Arctic will be displayed
prominently. But the rare exhibit of traditional Northern clothing in a high-end
apparel shop isn't sitting well with some aboriginal groups. They are crying cultural
appropriation and are vehemently raising questions about ownership, use of designs
without financial benefit, and the recognition of the creators of the work.
"What they're looking to do is basically take Inuit designs and First Nations designs
(and) incorporate them into the Donna Karan line," said Tracy O'Hearn, executive
director of Pauktuutit Inuit Women's Association of Canada. "This really highlights
the urgent need to ensure that there are forms of protection for cultural property."
Ms. Karan's global design director, Bonnie Young, purchased the designs, for an
estimated $10,000-15,000, during a six-day trip to several Arctic communities last
week. Her purchases include handmade sealskin jackets, vests, beaded jackets and
knitted fur clothing, many of which are worth hundreds of dollars each.
Northern designer D'Arcy Moses, who is of aboriginal descent, met with the designer
and he agrees there should be acknowledgement of the items' origins. "I was assured by
Bonnie Young that if there was an ethnic tone to the collection, that Donna Karan
would say it was inspired by the Dene and the Inuit people of the Arctic," said Mr.
Moses. "Ideally what would placate us would be to get in writing that the Dene and the
Inuit of the Arctic will be acknowledged." But he also maintains that designers borrow
ideas all the time from other cultures because they provide inspiration. It's the way
of the fashion industry, he adds. "A couple of years ago John Galliano came out with
a collection that was inspired by the North American Indian, and they were amazing
pieces," he said. "And Gucci, a couple of years ago, had native beaded shoes, beaded
jeans with feathers, and native-style beaded jackets with chokers featured in Vogue.
It's a form of inspiration."
Though to many, a statement of recognition isn't enough. According to Ms. Hearn,
aboriginal organizations like Pauktuutit have been working toward protecting cultural
elements through an indigenous caucus. This group is also working with the United
Nations to address the problem of protecting intellectual property. "People do
everything they can to protect their proprietary rights," she said. Yellowknife-based
Patrick Hough of the Dene Cultural Institute maintains that the Karan situation brings
to the forefront, the whole problem that exists with intellectual property. Even
though there aren't any copyrights to stop anyone from replicating the designs, he
doubts it will happen. "The materials that our artisans work with are relatively
unique to the North -- the moosehide , the porcupine quill -- I don't see how they
could rip off those designs and manufacture them in South America," he said.
He sees the New York exposure as more of a positive for the aboriginal artisans who
are trying to expand the market for their products. "They're getting exposure they
probably wouldn't have got otherwise," he added. Neither designer Donna Karan or her
company's senior vice-president of marketing Patti Cohen were available for comment.
"Let Us Consider The Human Brain As
A Very Complex Photographic Plate"
1957 G.H. Estabrooks
www.angelfire.com/mn/mcap/bc.html
FOR K A R E N #01182
who died fighting 4/23/99
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