The motives on different clothes were printed instead of being traditionally embroidered and their fabric and had nothing to do with the real aboriginal people. The brand put the word ‘Navajo’ in the description of each piece anyway. Although the designers probably used the Native American tribe as an inspiration and they had no intention to be offensive, accusations of racism found them anyway.
The CEO of the brand got a letter from Sasha Houston Brown, who is a fellow worker of the American Indian Success program. Brown wrote to the CEO that “I take personal offense to the blatant racism and perverted and cultural appropriation your store features this season as ‘fashion’”.
The woman, who is a Native American herself, also wrote that the collection hasa “distasteful and racially demeaning apparel and décor”.The main problem according to her is that the brand violated the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 by placing the term ‘Navajo’ on products that were not actually made or designed by Navajo people.
13