In 2018, Zara announced a new product that was a “flowing skirt with draped detail in the front” selling at $90. Seemingly harmless clothing caused an uproar and mockery upon Zara. The skirt was too identical to longyi that is widely worn by men for comfort and cultural purposes in South and Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Arab world. Cultural appropriation is not a joking matter and an ethnicity’s culture should not, by any means, be used to satisfy the desire of fashion industry.
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I believe it’s okay to observe cultures and existing fashion to create new types of clothing. There are reasons certain types of clothing are popular within a culture, either due to practicality or beauty. I believe culture and beauty should be shared and admired in different ways as long as inspiration and original work is credited properly and it’s culture shared. I don’t think it’s appropriate to steal a specific type of clothing and modernize it to create an “original” brand.