French luxury brand, Christian Dior has invited the wrath of Chinese citizens for designing a skirt that resembles a garment popular in ancient China.
The garment in question is a pleated skirt worth USD 3,800 (INR 3,03,088), which is a prt of Dior's recent fall collection.
Dior showcased the skirt, claiming it "highlights the idea of community and sisterhood in looks with a school uniform allure."
Chinese protestors have now claimed that the skirt is a straight rip off of the traditional Chinese skirt called the 'Mamian' or 'horse face' skirt worn by horseriders in the country during the Ming Dynasty's reign.
Dozens of Chinese students protested in Paris streets against the French label and also called it out for cultural appropriation.
According to reports, students protested right in front of the Dior store around the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in the French capital.
An opinion piece in People.com slammed the brand and read, “The so-called Dior silhouette is very similar to the Chinese horse-face skirt. When many details are the same, why is it shamelessly called a ‘new design’ and ‘hallmark Dior silhouette’?”
According to a South China Morning Post, Dior’s Hong Kong website has described the skirt as a “hallmark Dior silhouette, the mid-length skirt … updated with a new elegant and modern variation.”
Apparently, the only difference between Dior’s skirt and the traditional Chinese skirt it is calf-length while the original version is of floor-length.
