this is all about clickbait , isn’t it ? The idea of individuality and creativity and above all singularity and uniqueness has become an afterthought in the almighty battle for clicks and notoriety and sales. Does anybody actually care about Fashion anymore ?
Louis Vuitton Men's S/S 2021 Shanghai
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Kite
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I think it really speaks about the integrity of something like DietPrada when they’re not comparing the blatant copying in this collection from WVB.
Virgil is an idiot who can’t even copy cleverly, and DietPrada are spineless because they just want to be invited to shows. It’s all crap.
He’s in too deep, get him outta here.
Virgil is an idiot who can’t even copy cleverly, and DietPrada are spineless because they just want to be invited to shows. It’s all crap.
He’s in too deep, get him outta here.
Lola701
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LVMH has to defend the designer they are paying a huge salary to and whose work is owned by them. They have the responsability because no matter how many times he decides to copy, it is all part of their archives.
The Galliano comparison is a bit uncalled for in this case...
The problem is not LVMH. The problem is the integrity of their designer.
Virgil has a total creative control and it is his duty to really acknowledge the weight of his actions.
jeanclaude
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LVMH has subsidiary responsibility for Virgil´s behaviour as Vuitton creative director. They are the ones who hired him; and the ones who gave green light to this collection.
If LVMH would have integrity, and really cared about the image of Louis Vuitton, they would fire Virgil after this disaster of a collection...but we all know that as long as Kanye´s little b*tch keeps selling, LVMH will keep allowing any kind of rip-offs coming from him.
GivenchyAddict
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This collection managed to show every aspect of the fashion industry that is wrong and make it less and less likeable. From the copy-paste creative director to the failed fashion editor from NY with an Instagram account. The fact that all the proofs are there and they are still in denial is almost laughable.
My concern is how the hell I will manage to style something with these crappy clothes. LV as an advertiser is every stylist's nightmare.
My concern is how the hell I will manage to style something with these crappy clothes. LV as an advertiser is every stylist's nightmare.
jeanclaude
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I would mix them with W< clothes, real and fake facing-off with each other...but obviously LVMH won´t allow anything but total Vuitton looks (as the rest of big brands).
Off-topic, remember that time when Rousteing got caught in copying Mcqueen/Givenchy jacket, he just (or was forced to) admitted it, either way, from that time on, I have the impression that he is lovely person, and that cannot be applied to Abloh, whose ego is not on par with his talent.
Lola701
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Rousteing copied one jacket, Abloh copied multiples looks from one collection. The rate in terms of « shame » is not the same. I think it would have been better for Virgil to never respond. Zuhair Murad has never respond, the same for Altuzarra or even Alexander Wang.
Rousteing is a designer and a drawer above all. He is confident in his talent and I see why he simply admitted. And tbh, he did justice to Lee because the Balmain was better executed than the Givenchy/McQueen.
But the outrage regarding the McQueen stuff was a bit exaggerated at the time. Nobody ever called out Lee for Copying Azzedine and Claude Montana all his career...
Once again, it was Diet Prada who instigated that.
As Chanel said, « Copy is success »!
I agree. Say what you like about Balmain, but no-one can say that Olivier Rousteing is not a proper Designer. If Virgil had said that he was inspired by Walter this whole story would have gone away in 2 seconds. Remember Raf's Margiela Hommage Collection? Or Vetements' The Elephant in the room? Both Raf and Demna get away with it because they are real Designers, so being inspired by something, even if it is as cheeky as what they did, its not really a problem because it is backed up with Depth. Virgil is all hype and hot air, and he seems painfully aware of it, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted like he has.
D
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High Sobiety and Complex need to pull any stops to keep themselves relevant as we all know street wear is dead at this point. Can’t wait until the Me Too movement rips through those offices because those dudes are all problematic douche types. The stories I have heard about the way they speak about women and the LGBTQ+ community.
Benn98
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Via Highsnobiety:
Why Is It Okay to Bash Virgil Abloh and Not Walter Van Beirendonck?
A new Louis Vuitton collection hits the runway today, but its arrival has been marred by accusations of theft and plagiarism against Virgil Abloh — brought to the fore by Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck and widely discussed in a series of articles over the past two weeks. Here, creative director Ruba Abu-Nimah writes an op-ed on the utter hypocrisy and shamefulness of such accusations.
Virgil Abloh’s August runway show for LV was attacked (once again) for plagiarism and appropriation, this time by Walter Van Beirendonck, the much celebrated Belgian designer, member of the Antwerp Six, and professor at Antwerp’s prestigious Royal Arts Academy.
While I have myself been critical of some of Virgil Abloh’s work in the past, I take exception when hypocrisy and obfuscation are so evident. Whatever the merits of Walter Van Beirendonck’s specific claims, his accusing Abloh of appropriation and theft is the most absurd, sanctimonious, self-absorbed and out-of-touch commentary I have seen in recent memory. There are few designers I know who have stolen more than Walter Van Beirendonck. And his level of thievery is more egregious because it is racist and colonialist. His entire career is based on appropriation and the colonial gaze.
A white man, accusing a Black man of stealing Black culture that the white man had already stolen is laughable if not tragic.
Throughout Walter’s career he has used symbolism from Africa, South America, Japan and elsewhere in the most lurid and overt ways. For starters, take FW89/99: the collection inspired by the culture and people of Papua New Guinea. In the same year, he produced a comic strip album titled KING KONG KOOK, one in which Walter’s character dons a penis gourd also inspired by the Papuans in New Guinea. In SS01, he presented a collection with facial tattoos, also inspired by, you guessed it, Papuans, as well as the Maori of New Zealand and the Nuba from Sudan. Incidentally, he has used the images of Leni Riefenstahl to illustrate his inspiration, she, herself a controversial figure, having produced Hitler’s Nazi propaganda films. In 1994, Van Beirendonck referenced to Bolivian devil masks and the Oruro Festival, notable for devil dances which reference enslaved Africans brought to South America. In 2006, there were references to the Rapanui sculptures of Easter Island. In 2011-2012, we have another reference to the Pende peoples of Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the Pueblo Indians. And so on and so forth.
But let’s give this some historical context shall we? Walter is Belgian, and Belgium doesn’t exactly have a very good track record regarding colonialism. Between 1885 and 1908, Belgium committed heinous crimes against the Indigenous population of the Congo. During this period, under the direct and brutal rule of King Leopold II, millions of people died either by famine, execution, mutilation, inhuman working conditions, or from the many diseases brought to the country by the European colonizers. To cut a long story short, the country and its people were ravaged and destroyed under Belgian rule.
“It was indeed a holocaust before Hitler’s holocaust,” historian Robert Weisbord wrote in 2003. “What happened in the heart of Africa was genocidal in scope long before that now-familiar term, genocide, was ever coined.” Enough said.
A good portion of my teen years were spent in Belgium, and I witnessed first hand the socially accepted prejudice against minorities in that country (not unique to Belgium obviously). People from Central and North Africa were considered second-class citizens and there was no handwringing or questioning about Belgium’s history of genocide and murder at that time.
In recent weeks, as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement, people in Belgium have started reexamining the country’s colonial history, and statues of King Leopold II have been torn down. Van Beirendonck as an artist and educator has a responsibility to participate in this reexamination. Designers from former colonial states like Belgium have used the culture of their former colonies as commodities that they have repackaged and sold for their own benefit. At least part of the reputation that Van Beirendonck is so eager to protect comes from this kind of exploitative relationship.
This, however, is really just some cultural and historic context regarding Van Beirendonck’s career. He is 63 years old and likely somewhat set in his ways, so I can safely assume he isn’t exactly “woke.” But he does have access to the internet and is in charge of teaching young adults, so we have to assume he is aware of what is going on in the world politically and socially. If Van Beirendonck is living in his own xenophobic bubble, what about everyone else? As soon as the designer released his statement, the usual internet outlets jumped on it, same old, same old… What struck me the most is the piece in The New York Times on August 13 titled, “Belgian Designer Accuses Virgil Abloh of Copying. Again.”
What struck me were the designer’s ’s quotes. “It’s very clear that Virgil Abloh is not a designer,” Van Beirendonck told a Belgian publication, quoted by the Times. “He has no language of his own, no vision. He can’t create something of his own season after season and that is painful.”
Wait, what?
The Times says Van Beirendonck did not respond to its requests for an interview. But it should not require an interview for the paper – or any journalist — to raise questions regarding Walter’s career rampant with appropriation of Black culture and history. And sadly the paper didn’t do that. Saint Walter was taken at his word and, once again, Virgil Abloh was the guilty party. I am not here to defend one designer over another, nor pass judgment on whether Abloh indeed plagiarized Van Beirendonck. But not examining Van Beirendonck’s career is hypocrisy at its finest.
Why Is It Okay to Bash Virgil Abloh and Not Walter Van Beirendonck?
- 1 day ago
A new Louis Vuitton collection hits the runway today, but its arrival has been marred by accusations of theft and plagiarism against Virgil Abloh — brought to the fore by Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck and widely discussed in a series of articles over the past two weeks. Here, creative director Ruba Abu-Nimah writes an op-ed on the utter hypocrisy and shamefulness of such accusations.
Virgil Abloh’s August runway show for LV was attacked (once again) for plagiarism and appropriation, this time by Walter Van Beirendonck, the much celebrated Belgian designer, member of the Antwerp Six, and professor at Antwerp’s prestigious Royal Arts Academy.
While I have myself been critical of some of Virgil Abloh’s work in the past, I take exception when hypocrisy and obfuscation are so evident. Whatever the merits of Walter Van Beirendonck’s specific claims, his accusing Abloh of appropriation and theft is the most absurd, sanctimonious, self-absorbed and out-of-touch commentary I have seen in recent memory. There are few designers I know who have stolen more than Walter Van Beirendonck. And his level of thievery is more egregious because it is racist and colonialist. His entire career is based on appropriation and the colonial gaze.
A white man, accusing a Black man of stealing Black culture that the white man had already stolen is laughable if not tragic.
Throughout Walter’s career he has used symbolism from Africa, South America, Japan and elsewhere in the most lurid and overt ways. For starters, take FW89/99: the collection inspired by the culture and people of Papua New Guinea. In the same year, he produced a comic strip album titled KING KONG KOOK, one in which Walter’s character dons a penis gourd also inspired by the Papuans in New Guinea. In SS01, he presented a collection with facial tattoos, also inspired by, you guessed it, Papuans, as well as the Maori of New Zealand and the Nuba from Sudan. Incidentally, he has used the images of Leni Riefenstahl to illustrate his inspiration, she, herself a controversial figure, having produced Hitler’s Nazi propaganda films. In 1994, Van Beirendonck referenced to Bolivian devil masks and the Oruro Festival, notable for devil dances which reference enslaved Africans brought to South America. In 2006, there were references to the Rapanui sculptures of Easter Island. In 2011-2012, we have another reference to the Pende peoples of Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the Pueblo Indians. And so on and so forth.
But let’s give this some historical context shall we? Walter is Belgian, and Belgium doesn’t exactly have a very good track record regarding colonialism. Between 1885 and 1908, Belgium committed heinous crimes against the Indigenous population of the Congo. During this period, under the direct and brutal rule of King Leopold II, millions of people died either by famine, execution, mutilation, inhuman working conditions, or from the many diseases brought to the country by the European colonizers. To cut a long story short, the country and its people were ravaged and destroyed under Belgian rule.
“It was indeed a holocaust before Hitler’s holocaust,” historian Robert Weisbord wrote in 2003. “What happened in the heart of Africa was genocidal in scope long before that now-familiar term, genocide, was ever coined.” Enough said.
A good portion of my teen years were spent in Belgium, and I witnessed first hand the socially accepted prejudice against minorities in that country (not unique to Belgium obviously). People from Central and North Africa were considered second-class citizens and there was no handwringing or questioning about Belgium’s history of genocide and murder at that time.
In recent weeks, as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement, people in Belgium have started reexamining the country’s colonial history, and statues of King Leopold II have been torn down. Van Beirendonck as an artist and educator has a responsibility to participate in this reexamination. Designers from former colonial states like Belgium have used the culture of their former colonies as commodities that they have repackaged and sold for their own benefit. At least part of the reputation that Van Beirendonck is so eager to protect comes from this kind of exploitative relationship.
This, however, is really just some cultural and historic context regarding Van Beirendonck’s career. He is 63 years old and likely somewhat set in his ways, so I can safely assume he isn’t exactly “woke.” But he does have access to the internet and is in charge of teaching young adults, so we have to assume he is aware of what is going on in the world politically and socially. If Van Beirendonck is living in his own xenophobic bubble, what about everyone else? As soon as the designer released his statement, the usual internet outlets jumped on it, same old, same old… What struck me the most is the piece in The New York Times on August 13 titled, “Belgian Designer Accuses Virgil Abloh of Copying. Again.”
What struck me were the designer’s ’s quotes. “It’s very clear that Virgil Abloh is not a designer,” Van Beirendonck told a Belgian publication, quoted by the Times. “He has no language of his own, no vision. He can’t create something of his own season after season and that is painful.”
Wait, what?
The Times says Van Beirendonck did not respond to its requests for an interview. But it should not require an interview for the paper – or any journalist — to raise questions regarding Walter’s career rampant with appropriation of Black culture and history. And sadly the paper didn’t do that. Saint Walter was taken at his word and, once again, Virgil Abloh was the guilty party. I am not here to defend one designer over another, nor pass judgment on whether Abloh indeed plagiarized Van Beirendonck. But not examining Van Beirendonck’s career is hypocrisy at its finest.
@Benn98 I think we are beyond rational in this topic. I have no idea what Belgian history of colonialism has to do with Walter or Virgil or why a designer couldn't get inspired by other cultures. Are we going to forbid Chinese designers to ever cut a pair of western trousers?
I think hypebeast is just trying to publish as many clickbaits as possible to stay relevant.
EDIT: The irony of this piece being published on High Snobiety, hypebeast's direct, not-very-successful copy...
I think hypebeast is just trying to publish as many clickbaits as possible to stay relevant.
EDIT: The irony of this piece being published on High Snobiety, hypebeast's direct, not-very-successful copy...
I read the article twice and it's even better the second time around. What a pile of mental gymnastics and pointlessness masqueraded as a "think piece."
However, it's scary how some people will take any opportunity to switch anything to align with their ideology. And it's even scarier that those people are getting space in media.
However, it's scary how some people will take any opportunity to switch anything to align with their ideology. And it's even scarier that those people are getting space in media.
YohjiAddict
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Serves him right for daring to copy someone who literally heads a fashion school...
We're really beyond logic if this is what passes as a reasonable argument:
"Bu..but white man bad"
Salvatore
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I am a POC and have no problem calling out racism and appropriation when I see it. However, that is one of the most daft articles I have ever seen. It does not negate the fact that Virgil copied the designs. It's not cultural appropriation. It's literal design lifting. Sure, it's probable that Van Beirendonck has appropriated things and, yes, Belgium does have a problematic history concerning the Congo and human zoos ... however that does not have anything to do with the fact that "Designer" A (Virgil) copied the "original" "Designer" B (Walter) in this situation. No amount of think pieces or anything is going to cover that up. I put quotations around designer and original because Virgil isn't really a designer in my eyes and maybe Walter's was not original so I do not know. This whole situation is absurd and I think Virgil should just admit it.
Koibito
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No she didn’t pass judgment. She attacked.
Fashionstuff
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MGC and VA are making horrible collections but they are selling their stuff. OMG... This LV from VA is so tacky, it is a one big gimmick...♀️
