Fashion house accused of ‘cultural appropriation’ by Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone
Fashion house Valentino has been accused of ‘cultural appropriation’ over its latest collection.
The Italian couture brand has been showing off garments and accessories in its autumn/winter edit, which feature beadwork – which some claim look too similar to those made by indigenous people in Canada.
Leading the criticism is Killers of the Flower Moons star Lily Gladstone who said seeing work that looks similar to crafts made famous by Canada’s Metis and Dene people is ‘incredibly frustrating’.
The actor, who grew up on a reservation in Montana, said she was ‘baffled’ by the fashion house’s designs, posting on her Instagram stories earlier this week that it was a ‘major step back’.
Last week, Keira Knightley wore a Valentino ‘PavillonDesFolies look’ dress by creative director Alessandro Michele during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in the US.
When Valentino highlighted Knightley’s dress with an Instagram post, it was greeted with criticism over the detail around the outfit’s neckline, described by the fashion house as ‘polka-dot embroidery’.
One person wrote: ‘Address the cultural appropriation and theft and EXACT rip off of a Dene & Métis elders work. Shame on you.’
The Dene and Métis are a group of people who reside in the Northwest Territories of Canada, who are known for their intricate beadwork.
Lily Gladstone, who grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, criticised Valentino for appearing to use beadwork similar to designs by Native Canadian people Metis and Dene in its latest collection
The Italian couture house has shared new designs with its 19.1 million followers on Instagram in recent weeks, but many have accused the brand of making its beadwork too similar to those made famous by indigenous people of North West Canada
Traditional beadwork displayed in the Canadian Museum of History from the Metis and/or Dene people. Right, a scarf that features in the latest Valentino collection
A Valentino ‘PavillonDesFolies look’ dress by Valentino creative director Alessandro Michele worn by Keira Knightley during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show in the US
Another added: ‘Something is off and does not belong there’.
On other posts promoting more outfits in the brand’s latest collection to the company’s 19.1million Instagram users, there has been a similar backlash.
One added: ‘How is this still happening in 2024?’.
Another penned: ‘This bag is a literal colour for colour copy of a Métis/Dene museum piece in my hometown. Do better FFS.’
One person wrote: ‘A little bit of bead by bead plagiarism? That bag is a stolen design. What the hell?’
An elder wearing an octopus Metis fire bag in Victoria, Canada
Us star Gladstone, who was raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, said of the designs: ‘Where other houses have taken meaningful steps forward, this is a major step back.
‘Métis and Dene beadwork is stunning and deserves to be highlighted in a major way, but this isn’t how to achieve that’.
She said the brand should instead have collaborated with ‘living, breathing Indigenous artists’.
MailOnline has contacted Valentino for comment.
It’s not the first time Valentino has found itself at the centre of a social media storm, in 2015, the brand unveiled an ‘Africa’ themed collection at Paris Fashion Week and was accused of cultural appropriation on the runway.
