The exploitation of the Homeless in the Fashion Industry

From John Galliano’s spring 2000 couture collection for Christian Dior, to N. Hoolywood's fall show in 2017, to Kanye West’s streetwear brand Yeezy, it seems that one man’s trash really is another man’s treasure. But at what expense? Kanye West’s tattered and overpriced  clothes may be the most recent example of the fashion industry exploiting the homeless, but he certainly won’t be the last. When confronted, many will claim that what they are doing is  simply raising awareness. But in reality, what all these people and fashion brands are doing is simply reaping the benefits of the situation that they are exploiting. Furthermore, many of these designers will point out how homelessness is hidden in our culture. Thus, they naively assume that by putting on these “homeless-chic” fashion shows, that it is a form of activism because they are supposedly raising awareness. My counterpoint to this sentiment would be that if raising awareness was the goal, for one they would raise money to fund homeless shelters, donate to local shelters some much needed materials, etc. Renowned French fashion designer Christian Lacroix was quoted in Vogue saying that, “It’s terrible to say, very often the most exciting outfits are from the poorest people”. Which is a sentiment that many of these fashion designers and media personalities share. In the end, all many of them truly care about is that their looks are talked about, and that there’s buzz around the “cool and edgy they came up with”. So what can you do as an individual? It’s as simple as not supporting these brands and designers when they pull stunts like this. But take it one step further, and use social media for good. In other words, voice your concerns about the way these  fashion designers are coming across. Other than going out and physically protesting, a good place to start off is  online. But if we want  our words in the conversation against this homeless-chic trend to matter, we can’t behave like trolls. Otherwise we run the risk of  our opinions not being taken seriously.

So instead of supporting fashion designers and brands who simply exploit those less fortunate,  I would say that there are small and big way to  support those working hard to help the homeless across all of the U.S. For more information on how you can help, click here.