Dashikis: you’ve probably see them everywhere and in many shapes and forms: dresses. skirts. shorts. tops. You’ve seen them worn by celebrities , on the runway at a New York activation of Africa Fashion Week and so often hanging on display at fair-trade-markets. Yet, Elle Canada didn’t receive the memo. The magazine faced backlash over a story which claims that “dashikis are the new kaftans.”
The magazine posted the story (which has since been removed) on Twitter referring to this well-known (apparently, only in this part of the world) West African attire as “in style”.
Twitter wasn’t with it. Furious tweeters called out the magazine for being ignorant to dressing that has been “an integral part of black culture for years. Here’s what a few tweeters had to say:
“Hi @ElleCanada Ensure your social media team is well traveled & educated. The dashiki has BEEN “IN”. How #ignorant”
“Hey @ElleCanada is this a joke? We’ll borrow the hashtag– #mycultureisnotcouture”
“Since when we’re [sic] dashiki’s new? My culture is not a trend”
“This is so irritating. NOTHING about a dashiki is new. It’s been the “it-item” in African countries since forever.”
“Elle Canada showed dashikis from Forever 21 in that post. Forever 21 doesn’t even call them dashikis. No cultural context. Very offensive.”
Who knew a dashiki could cause such uproar?