Navajo

For many, Rodarte's Fall 2012 prints were nothing more than a pretty arrangement of lines, dots and hand prints. But for Megan Davis, an indigenous Australian who heads up the University of New South Wales' Indigenous Law Centre and is also an expert member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), the prints were an insensitive appropriation of her Australian Aboriginal culture, Frockwriter is reporting. The Mulleavy sisters were quite open about the fact that they were inspired by Australia. Kate Mulleavy told Newsweek/The Daily Beast's Robin Givhan that “the show was based on the rugged outback,” though the sisters admitted they had never been. That fact was a sticking point for Davis.

• By Hayley Phelan
  Mar 15, 2012

Things aren't looking good for Urban Outfitters. The retail chain made the news three times this year--and for all the wrong reasons, including insensitively (and illegally) labelled "navajo" undies, allegedly knocked-off state necklaces and using an underage model in "salacious" photos. Now, it looks like all that controversy has finally taken a toll on business. According to Businessweek, Urban Outfitters' shares have dropped 27 percent this year and the retailer is losing investors' confidence fast. What's to blame? According to Urban's CEO Glen Senk, it's "a fashion issue, plain and simple." Besides selling styles that are "simply off" (Businessweek dedicates a paragraph to both flares and "baggy tops," which the industry weekly says, gasp!, don't go together), the retailer's recent controversies aren't helping the situation.

• By Hayley Phelan
  Nov 18, 2011

Victoria's Secret Models' Dueling Halloween Parties: Current Victoria's Secret Angel Miranda Kerr is hosting a NYC Halloween soiree the same night as her predecessor and Halloween queen Heidi Klum's annual bash. It's like a Zoolander-esque walk-off, except they'll be wearing funny costumes and probably won't even see each other. The horror!! Mwahaha. {NY Post} PETA Wants Gaga in a Lettuce Dress: PETA will design a dress of leafy greens, and is even offering to supply someone to spray the ensemble with water so it doesn't wilt. How generous! {Styleite} You Can Vote for British Style Icon of the Year: Once again, the British Fashion Council is letting us vote for our favo[u]rite Brit it-girl. Alexa Chung won last year, but there are a lot of other strong contenders and a few fresh faces this time around. Who shall it be? As Captain Planet would say, the power is YOURS! {Telegraph}

• By Nora Crotty
  Oct 28, 2011

The latest fashion news scandal, aside from the ongoing New York vs. Milan fashion week stand off, concerns the use of the word Navajo. The Navajo Nation has a trademark on its name, and made headlines when it sent Urban Outfitters a cease and desist letter for selling items called "Navajo hipster panties" and a "Navajo flask." Urban Outfitters has since renamed these items the "Printed Hipster Panty" and the "Printed Fabric Wrapped Flask" but that hasn't stopped Barneys' fashion director, the girl-crush worthy Amanda Brooks, from writing a post on Barneys' "The Window" blog about all things Navajo. The post is titled "Navajo Nation: Amanda Brooks tries out fall's hottest print," and it features items from Barneys and sources inspiration photos of Joni Mitchell, Emmanuelle Alt, Daria Werbowy, and the female equivalent of the Native American from the Village People (see: white bikini and headdress).

• By Steff Yotka
  Oct 21, 2011