August VOGUE India - Style Statement or Fashion Faux Pas?

The New York Times recently reported on a controversial fashion spread in VOGUE India's August issue which features high fashion luxury brand handbags and accessories worn by; according to whomever you believe; either "poor" or "average" Indian citizens.

Just one month after VOGUE Italy's much-vaunted July issue, VOGUE India finds itself facing criticism. At issue is whether it is ethical to portray luxury goods in situations that suggest severe poverty - is the jarring juxtaposition callous, considering that nearly half of the country's population lives on $1.25 a day or less*, or is it a practical statement about the growing wealth of India's middle and upper classes?

I haven't been able to see all the images from the photo spread, so it is difficult to judge one way or the other. From the shot above, I see nothing wrong with it. It appears to be showing fashion on "regular" people, which is normally favored by readers around the world. If the spread raises the issue of global poverty, all the better.

According to Priya Tana, editor at the one-year old VOGUE India, critics should know that

"fashion is no longer a rich man's privilege. Anyone can carry it off and make it look beautiful...you have to remember with fashion, you can't take it that seriously."

So whether you view the spread as aspirational or just asinine, at least the controversy has started a dialogue within the fashion industry about the ethics of marketing luxury goods in new markets where poverty is rampant.

READ the article HERE

LEARN more about fighting Global Poverty at the ONE Campaign and help make poverty a campaign issue this election HERE

*Source and photo credit: The New York Times

July VOGUE Italia...the wait is (almost) over

For those of you in the States awaiting the July issue of VOGUE Italia, it seems the wait is nearly over. Fashionista.com has just begun scanning pages, which would lead us to believe it has hit newsstands in NYC. Fashion Ethic, however, is on the West Coast, and just returned from the local Barnes and Noble empty-handed. (Linda Evangelista continues to taunt from the June issue and there is "no date" for delivery said Customer Service)

If you're not quite sure what the hype is about, this July issue has been hotly anticipated ever since word broke that the entire issue would be shot by photographer Steven Meisel, using only black models as a commentary on the current dearth of diversity in high fashion editorials and catwalk.

Our own American VOGUE touched on the topic this month, with an article entitled "Is Fashion Racist," accompanied by the most beautiful shots of soon-to-be-supers Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn, and Arlenis Sosa (pictured here). The good news is that the industry is talking and the future looks bright for "a more diverse cast," says VOGUE.

Here's hoping that designers, retailers, and show casting directors will take note of the hot demand for the July issue of VOGUE Italia (some reports say newsstands have already sold out with pre-orders in NYC), which indicates that the public is more than ready to see greater diversity in fashion. It's the Fashionably Responsible thing to do, after all!