Marc Jacobs came under fire after his spring/summer 17 show, which mostly had a white cast of models wearing pastel-colored dreadlocks, a look he originally said was inspired by his friend Lana Wachowski. Addressing the accusations of cultural appropriation, Jacobs responded by attempting to draw a comparison between white women wearing dreadlocks and women of color straightening their hair.
“Appreciation of all and inspiration from anywhere is a beautiful thing,” he wrote to his detractors. “Think about it.” He later apologized for that defense in a caption under text that read, “I HAVE READ ALL YOUR COMMENTS…”
Almost a year later, Jacobs has apologized for failing to acknowledge the history of dreadlocks, telling InStyle, “Maybe I’ve been insensitive.”
He added, “What I learned from that whole thing, what caused me to pause after it died down a little bit, was that maybe I just don’t have the language for this, or maybe I’ve been insensitive because I operate so inside my little bubble of fashion,” Jacobs said.
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