September 03, 2013

Louis Vuitton's "Navajo Moccasins"

Adrienne Keene writes:Apparently Louis Vuitton has a line of "Navajo Moccasins":

"Capturing the spirit of the authentic Indian moccasin, this on-trend design in oiled calf leather features a hand-stitched vamp, a comfortable rounded shape and a casually tied leather lace."

Um, once again, "Navajo" is not a synonym for "Generic Indian." Navajo moccasins don't even look anything like that. And did the fashion world learn nothing from the Urban Outfitters lawsuit (when they had 25+ products named "Navajo")?
Some comments on this posting:Yeah, real authentic 'cause it's a well known fact that First Nation people love their Italian driving shoes....

There's nothing even generic Indian about them, let alone Navajo. They're just standard-looking preppie slip-on mocs. Garbage marketing drivel.

These things are $200, not only racially offensive but also capitalizing on it ... sick, goes to show how skewed 21st century societies can be when they still think it is OK to capitalize on the marginalization of people.

Those ugly "penny loafers" are not mocs! Not even mock mocs! They're ugly and I'm pretty sure not one Dine would be caught wearing anything like that! Navajo Nation, sue their pants off!!
Comment:  For more on the Urban Outfitters case, see Navajo Nation Sues Urban Outfitters and Urban Outfitters Renames "Navajo" Products.

1 comment:

Rob said...

For more on the subject, see:

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/09/04/hell-no-they-aint-navajo-louis-vuitton-pulls-urban-outfitters-151156

Hell No, They Ain't Navajo! Louis Vuitton Pulls an Urban Outfitters

It's a steal, right? But Natives who've kept an eye on fashion fumbles over the past couple of years might be irked by a different kind of theft. These shoes, essentially driving shoes with the faintest of Native touches, are billed as "Navajo Moccasins." In the United States, thanks to the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, it's illegal to put the name of any tribe on a product unless it was actually made by that tribe--a fact of commerce that Urban Outfitters learned all too well when it got into trouble over Native-ish products that included the Navajo Hipster Panty and Navajo Print Flask.