Cultural Appropriation: Louis Vuitton Turns The Maasai Cultural Garments Into A Fashion Trend.

Reneilwe Morema reports on Louis Vuitton and other fashion brands Stealing significant design patterns from African Cultures for their runway fashion shows without compensating or acknowledge the culture.
Louis Vuitton has again met with criticism this time from the Maasai people , after turning the culturally significant Shuka robe/blanket, into the latest fashion trend for men. For the Maasai people, the blanket signifies a sacred ritual and normally does not go for more the R1,000 ($77) much less than the Louis Vuitton hefty price tag of R33, 000 ($2,553).
Local designers are questioning whether Louis Vuitton should be profiting from the Maasai culture and whether this is cultural appropriation or appreciation.

[@jo-an777]

WE AS A PEOPLE NEED TO STOP BUYING THESE DESIGNERS PRODUCTS. THEY SAY BLACK PEOPLE DEVALUE THEIR PRODUCTS.

[@FF-by6ci]

People who are desperate for acceptance will always cater to others and make them richer, look at what black people do when they get rich, do they pour back to their own community? No, they make sure they are seen as success by buying white designer brands and getting with a white partner.

[@professionalboycottservice7872]

Where did you get your stupid conclusion? Do you even know who the creative director of Louis Vuitton who did representation of black culture?

[@jo-an777]

@professionalboycottservice7872 Harriet Tubman said, "Some didn't realise they were slaves." If some black people want to work for Louis Vutton kudos to them, be it on their own conscious 👏🏿. Why not be a designer for yourselves. Why be a follower when you can be a leader. Aspirations!!! And yes, designers have said this about us. Seek and gain knowledge, as knowledge is power.

[@tyronejones2553]

Facts and it's been shown, they steal the materials as well.😢

[@tyronejones2553]

​@@professionalboycottservice7872learn your history their stole our ancestors cultural designs as well 🪳🪳🪳🫏🫏🫏🫏💩💩💩💩

[@BoiKoll]

That's what they do, stealing and claiming to be theirs.

[@jaykay5838]

Show them nothing, when they come around me, everything stops.

[@BoiKoll]

@@jaykay5838 exactly

[@סמנתה777]

No more Louis Vuitton

[@DarkkusPangg]

Imagine stealing these designs from us and than selling it back to us instead of us making our own brand better than theres

because u people cannot do it

[@JeanFleming-gd6mm]

You KNOW FULL WELL YOU "STOLE" IT FROM US!!!

@@JeanFleming-gd6mm we taught u people to wear clothes and shoes/socks . we taught u to use a toothbrush. we taught u to use toilet paper

[@twiggy-x5v]

What a demeaning and disrespectful thing to say 😢

[@chrissyg55]

We taught you people to walk upright, We taught you people how to properly clean yourselves and eat with utensils, how to grow food, civilization. Yet today, you're still cavemen in suits. 👀👀

[@marvl6472]

As usual, its time for them folks to admit they cant exist alone

[@Danny-uz9zb]

Yeah. Like hair braiding is something that the Vikings stole from Africa. Why do so many black women wear those ridiculous weaves and wigs?? To be honest, they'd probably look better with their natural hair. Isn't that cultural appropriation??

[@francinefreeman9472]

They will never ever admit that.

[@tyronejones2553]

Something they'll never admit nor do 😂😂😂😂😂

[@JeanFleming-gd6mm]

Isn't this the TRUE TRADITION of the European, don't CREATE JUST " IMITATE".!!!!!😢😮

[@pacopetviewer1609]

They have no creativity they steal and copy everything they have

[@CRW-v3o]

France, the colonizer..

[@jojoko64]

Deception and thief, absolutely ridiculous.

[@raymondchadman2141]

They continue to steal and say its their original

[@cloud9isfine]

These thieves owe Africans...pay up Louis! We black Americans are owed tons.

[@professionalboycottservice7872]

Pharrell is the creative director of Louis Vuitton. Guess where Pharrell is from?

[@professionalboycottservice7872]

Louis Vuitton the founder is dead. Guess who is Louis Vuitton's creative director now? Clue: He is not white.

[@4Waridi]

How about the Maasai?

[@cloud9isfine]

@@4Waridi the Maasai are Africans.

[@ask_why000]

"They" think that can take what they want and commercialize it, then igorne its origins. Part of the reason I'd never purchase anything from "designer brand".

[@francinefreeman9472]

Me to they think, no they have.

[@lynisha73]

Neither do I smh

[@user-tu8wv4ko4u]

sue the hell out of him

[@nicolechappelle2074]

They stole your designs and they stole our whole Identity shameless

[@statemoneyclaim8051]

Let's talk about how the Massai is being ran off their lands.

[@p.be.s]

By “conservationists “ from the West, who can’t conserve their own environment.

[@brickmalone]

These folks have no shame. At least they could have mentioned the tribe as their inspiration.

[@hsand8178]

As A PEOPLE We, TAlK 👄 Too Much. SHOW TOO Much. Tell Too Much. WHY GIVE. YOUR FAMILY RECEIPES To The World AS WELL ALL Our CULTURAL SECRETS To The World. Some Things MUST Be KEPT ONLY SHARING THEM WITH OUR PEOPLE. SOME THING CAN'T Be SHARED. WAKE UP ⏰ My People ALL OVER The World🌎. OUR ANCESTORS Left Us The BLUEPRINTS On LIVING , IT'S UP To US To GAURD OUR MOUTH. ALL PRAISES👏

[@CRW-v3o]

The Colonizer

[@pacopetviewer1609]

It’s amazing how much people will pay for his name

[@williamwinn2114]

I am shocked!!! Why would they do that? $$$$$$ Are they sorry for this deception? NOOOOOO. Will they do it again? YEEESSSS.😂😂😂

[@joeking4100]

What you say is true, very much so and for all the right reasons. The patent idea is solid. This is the same as the African resources in the ground to these people. They “WANT” what they see. Misappropriating is treated as though it were a blessing from heaven for them. Use the laws and systems in place to prevent this continuing in every arena.

[@LynB-mj9zk]

The problem is Africans would ratherr buy brands instead of their own people's designs..

[@DOTAFRICA]

If we start down the road of seeking compensation for "stealing" designs or ideas as opposed to being inspired by design we have to go back 2000 years Cultural or not If we want to compete in this game we have to educate ourselves about copy rights, patenting, licensing and other enforceable legal arguements, other than that we can only be angry at ourselves.

[@landeazy8216]

They are owed more than 10 million per year

[@4Waridi]

By the way, there are smaller fashion brands using the Maasai shukas.

[@sumtendechaba9717]

Why are Massai not patenting their brand! Massai should challenge them!

[@kim1570]

Kindly do your research before being quick to comment on these videos. The Maasai DID sue Louis Vee. They formed an organization and together with a combination of Kenyan and Western lawyers, took Louis Vee to court. In fact that case is, to date, the biggest and most expensive cultural appropriation lawsuit in the West.

[@Aeon1019]

They take an 0RIGINAL PURE BRAND and _pervert_ IT.

[@anpdm1]

Can Vuitton patent cultural works? Is there an agency that certifies cultural works of Maasai crafts person? There should be a government agency that's exists to protect their cultural identity. More people would prefer to purchase a Shuka robe from Maasai, than manufactured in China for a mega corporation. That cultural protection agency would also assist in the promotion of their intellectual property.

[@floroma2820]

Sue Louis

[@CRW-v3o]

KARMA IS REAL. WA, YOUR TIME IS UP! ...and you know it Milan

[@richardkister4507]

Karma? And will happen.

[@sharabryan1416]

How dare they..............after 500 years, still stealing i see, they have no shame

[@ArletteMaotieBomahou]

The sad thing is that We as Black people we keep on buying these brands who self appropriate our culture and disrespect us. until we start boycotting these brands they won't stop. The only way to have leverage is through their pockets

[@tiisetsomatsimela-ce6yn]

What's the difference between stealing and inspiration jus ask?

[@calicoesblue4703]

Taking something without compensation & not paying dividends for the stolen property. While also not giving due to the original African peoples design and claim it as there’s when it’s not.

[@mustafael-amin9163]

This is another NON STORY that I already addressed.Yhe soulution is to propagate the truth ourselves and start wearing the original!Simple!

[@darianclery4455]

Yes your history

[@EmilieRozenblad]

Aaahhhhh.. you don't say..!!!

[@Nobile6601]

I am not fun of these brands, but I don't think it is stealing, they are only copying.

[@4Waridi]

Your rhetoric is nonsensical. You are literary taking away business from black and African businesses. You scare potential customers from wearing African goods for fear of being called cultural appropriators. What you ought to be doing is encouraging black folk to get in on the business game. Bring in your best skills and talents to create amazing products that can be appreciated by all. I doubt you can convince black folk to abandon the name brands when they are in fact their largest customers.

[@alkebulan860]

what they didn´t steal

[@TendayiMatipira]

Wasn’t Ankara a colonizer thing too¿ that’s now our thing.

[@globalcetzen5271]

The Ankara designs were all stolen from African designs with native names… We were printing the original vintage designs in Ghana before it became a colonizer thing… It only became our thing because we failed to patent our designs and started to compensate by making it our thing because we are the only ones who know the origins of the designs and prints …

[@maximillianphoenix9374]

Well there must be enough bad taste out there to justify it 🤔

[@anthonypinkney6536]

😢

[@tshepisolebuso4173]

Ausi Reneilwe, o kile wa bona the Scottish kilt🤔🫣?

[@Ikw2]

Scottish probably stoled the design from Africa in the 16th Century. That’s when the Scottish kilts were made.

[@Danny-uz9zb]

Hmmm....."cultural appropriation". Does that include hair weaves and wigs??

[@FF-by6ci]

Curly hair is still discriminated against in the west, The US has a policy in place to protect the right to wear your natural curly hair but that's only on paper, can you imagine if white women were not allowed to wear their hair out, called unprofessional or wild, kids with afro are still sent home from school. So it's not appropriation when black people are trying to assimilate in order to get a job/promotion etc.

[@ricaard6959]

This video is about clothing. Go be disingenuous somewhere else.

[@LaxJMT844]

Dense one: How is straight hair equated to culture appropriation? Colonizer, you do know that some parts of the continent, black people hair aren't kinky it's straight. You can't colonize a color (blonde) nor texture of hair. 👱🏻‍♂️👱🏻‍♀️ are so dense

[@LaxJMT844]

Cultural appreciation would be 👱🏻‍♀️👱🏻‍♂️ tanning in the sun. The sun belongs to the black man/women oopps

[@LaxJMT844]

@@Danny-uz9zb Stop tanning in the sun 🌞 culture appropriation

[@marvinrobinson3981]

I love your accent!

[@professionalboycottservice7872]

her accent is atrocious

[@Accuface2000]

Why does your body look small compared to your head? 🤣

[@4Waridi]

We complain about cultural appropriation yet we ourselves are the biggest appropriators. For example, Look at what we have done to the Kimono and not a peep from the Japanese. Did you notice the Nigerian Senator menswear similarity to the Indian and Middle Eastern menswear? Calm down, please. We are sounding like empty vessels by making the most noise.

[@inescarvalho6745]

You say that because you don't know the history of black people, we don't appropriate any culture, all the people in Japan were black, the whole of Europe was inhabited by black people. The story must be told, so that future generations can know the truth.

[@4Waridi]

@@inescarvalho6745 Why not just say we are all human beings instead of we are all black? The problem with those seeking race supremacy is that they disregard the fact that all are humans of equal value.

[@swts4k]

Yes and blonde wigs

[@cockietalk39]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾📚🌃🌃🤴🏿👸🏾

[@tinaosorio5658]

I'm glad to be explored time to get a lawyer