Citizen of the World | Dries Van Noten with Tim Blanks |

Belgian designer Dries Van Noten joined BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks on the VOICES stage to discuss the challenges of being a 'citizen of the world' amid rising critique of cultural appropriation. VOICES is BoF's annual gathering for big thinkers in partnership with QIC Global Real Estate. www.qicgre.com. Subscribe to BoF to watch more #BoFVOICES Videos ►► bit.ly/2dknoYc
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[@Headytopper125]

dries is so cute

[@marvinraphaelmonfort8289]

we won't all be citizens of the world unless there are truly no borders (and heirarchies of countries) that said, love dries! he mixes things so well

[@christinegogo845]

To be honest, when it comes to cultural appropriation , its a sliperry slope. You can either get applause or an angry mob. If you are inspired by something why can't it be looked at as flattery or recognition of a beautiful culture? I just think people just want to complain.

[@TheGrifhinx]

The question is whether or not the culture benefits GREATLY from the act of incorporation. That's what ultimately separates cultural appreciation from cultural appropriation. "Recognition"? That is inexcusably cheap. Each piece to ever incorporate a cultural element should at least make an effort to declare a cut from the profits off of that design, and give that cut to the community whose cultural element was taken from them.

[@dianhamilton9953]

Tommy Hilfiger did the same thing with that rasta dress Rhianna wore in her "work" video, claiming he went to the caribbean for inspiration!

[@angelicamimosa]

Love your vision, love your designs❤️😍🌟

[@braydenmustafa4478]

You probably dont give a shit but does anybody know a method to get back into an instagram account?? I stupidly forgot my account password. I would love any help you can give me.

[@MyTimeOutt]

#PrincessMelitaBonaparte, #CountessOfFlanders & #ProtectorOfCanada will model his designs for free...all to help with the #RestorationOfTheGreekMonarchy!

[@Venus-ed4of]

I like his creation very much and I would like to meet him closer

[@willy1957]

I wonder where Dries Van Noten cloths are produced?

[@Leikhani]

He has a number of workshops in India to produce his specialized embroideries, silks, etc. Also I think a major workshop in Italy (I guess most of the leather items like the boots are made there), among other places. Check out the documentary Dries if you're interested in seeing some footage.

[@lol109109]

Mainly Antwerp and India, I believe.

[@wyetti]

I have some pieces of his that say "Made In Romania", but the tag sometimes doesn't tell the whole story of where all the garments components come from.

[@teeniebeenie8774]

fashion is dead, the pandemic is here....

[@bhumehldiaries]

I do feel he's quite ignorant and the fact that he would bluntly say that "Diversity is not important" is the reason the fashion industry is not progressing. I'm not even going to start on his stance on cultural appropriation.

[@solanareznor8309]

take this comment as your victim award

[@goliaboi]

How is the sound quality of this video so terrible?

[@MyTimeOutt]

Truthful observation.

[@LeahBarrett]

How out of date and clueless (and hurt :) these 2 very talented men sound when they talk about appropriation of community cultural capital. A conversation between 2 people of lesser privilege would have not have been so ambiguous in its conclusion

[@JohnDoe-pe7ql]

Totally agree!!

[@TheAlexEG]

Hey Leah, would you mind elaborating on why you find Dries and Tim's stance on appropriation ambiguous and out of date?

[@LeahBarrett]

Not at all - but to clarify, my criticism is of this conversation - I'm a fan of both esp. of the global nature of Dries' work! No definitive "don'ts" come across in the video. A society's cultural capital develops (its expressive elements) over decades even centuries and embodies its values, beliefs - to use any elements one must be sensitive, embody and empower the originators directly. A tribal necklace loses value in its interpretation as a $2 bauble causing entire communities to lose economic viability. Given what we know since the 90's - early 2000s about sustainable development and culture, I felt it lacked awareness. Local culture cares for local environments too - the global fashion behemoth doesn't show sufficient care there either.

[@TheAlexEG]

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Leah. I do agree in that many people (including very talented ones!) from both sides of the debate tend to approach the subject of appropriation irresponsibly and superficially at best, seemingly without taking the time to consider how transposing cultural elements outside of their original context can alter (dilute or possibly potentiate) the meaning and significance of said elements, or how this in turn can shape an audience's perception of a community or culture itself. Nonetheless, I can't help but wonder if sometimes, in the face of an evermore globalized and prosaic world, creative assimilation such as this is the best chance we have at preserving some communities’ cultural capital and heritage, especially as these move to enter the global market and are invariably influenced by other cultures.

[@LeahBarrett]

As a preservation of culture - absolutely! Logistically that suggests a formal collaboration, a "shared value" model (Porter M. 2011, Creating shared value - great paper) or Fair Trade etc. Not the perfect illustration, but as a reflection on the issue overall - H&M's monkey hoodie gaffe may have ended differently if a celebrity was not involved - the voices of dissent may have been cast as a noisy crowd. The process of assimilation as an individual or community voluntarily is quite natural and to be admired I think - its the use for commercial purpose by an unrelated cultural group that is jarring on the groups of lesser privilege not to mention the risk of giving offence -- good chatting Alex :)