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

Fashionably Responsible Tidbits from AUG 08 VOGUE

The glorious summer weather has finally arrived for the long haul (okay - a month and a half) here in Seattle. So it was time for my favorite summertime activity: 30 minutes in the sun with the brand new August issue of VOGUE magazine. This is the precursor, the training exercise, shall we say, for next month's behemoth September issue.

I am happy to report that this month's VOGUE has several items of note in the world of ethical fashion.

Enjoy Joan Juliet Buck's profile of Mia Farrow, a style icon who has accomplished much in the battle to make the crises in Darfur, Chad, and Central African Republic more newsworthy and high profile. Acknowledging horrors in the world and trying to stop them is an important part of keeping beauty alive.

And be inspired by Sloan Barnett (nee Lindemann), who has taken steps toward a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle even while staying on trend in her social strata and working on her upcoming guide "Green Goes with Everything," which will be published by Atria in September. We do have to slightly disagree with her assessment of organic fashion, as we here at Fashion Ethic feel there is quite an abundance of "poised" and "chic" organic and responsible fashion available...and more designers coming to it every day!

Other tidbits include VOGUE Editor Tonne Goodman's choice of a sustainable shopping bag and favoring "tees with eco-conscious slogans" and a cover story on the lovely Kate Moss, who between reproducing true vintage fashion for the masses and wishing for a private jet, probably isn't considered too eco-friendly by most "greenies". But as a style icon and mother, we think she's pretty special anyway. Everyone has their own shade of green!