Fashion controversy calls attention to race

The past week has been tough for Chinese fashion designer Huang Junkai, who recently got criticized when a model wearing his work refused to wear "clearly racist" accessories during an alumni show at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York on Feb 7.

"I couldn't stop reading criticism about me and could not fell asleep until 6 in the morning. My parents in China sent me about 40 messages every night, just to check if I'm OK," Huang, 27, told China Daily.

After spending two years to create his first collection, "this incident and all the bad consequences are the very last thing that I would have expected from the show," said Huang, a native of Qingdao, who came to New York in 2017 and received master's degree from FIT's fashion design program last summer.

"I am deeply saddened to hear about what the designer is going through," said Amy Lefevre, 25, an African American model who told the New York Post last week that she was "pressured to wear bizarre, 'racist' accessories like 'monkey ears' and oversized lips". The story has circulated in many mainstream media outlets.

"I want to make it clear that I never indicated that the designer forced these accessories on me. In fact, when I told him specifically that the accessories were inappropriate and racist, he seemed willing to let me walk without them. I feel that this was not made clear in the media and the designer has suffered inappropriate consequences." Lefevre told China Daily in an email.

Huang said his intent was to appreciate the beauty of all kinds of bodies, regardless of race. He said the accessories used during the show were purchased from Amazon and not chosen by him. As a recent graduate, he said he had very limited control over the styling for the collective show.

Joyce F. Brown, FIT's president, apologized Tuesday in an open letter "to those who participated in the show, to students, and to anybody who has been offended by what they saw."

Said Brown: "It does not appear that the original intent of the design, the use of accessories or the creative direction of the show was to make a statement about race; however, it is now glaringly obvious that has been the outcome."

"I do think a higher education organization should have understood the implications of these accessories and how it would make people of color feel," Lefevre said "People of color have historically been discriminated against by being characterized as in some way savage or animal. There have been caricatures that institutionalized this racism in art and media. These big lips and overall monkey-looking accessories from the show struck me as an example of this. That is why I refused to wear them.".

When talking about lessons learned from this incident, Huang and Lefevre called for more attention to race in the fashion industry.

"Designers should always stay alarmed for any possible circumstance that could make other people feel uncomfortable, even though it can be unintentional," Huang said. "I believe that fashion is to appreciate the beauty of bodies, and it should never be used against any race."

Said Lefevre: "Art and design can make bold statements, but I believe it should work to build us up as a community. In general, the fashion industry needs to work to expand on the concept of beauty. I have visited China so I can appreciate the cultural differences, so this makes me believe even more in the importance of working together for mutual understanding. I would say that models and designers should always stand up for themselves and be true to who they are. To avoid this type of offense, we should always strive for a common understanding. I think we as a community, need to keep moving forward and better understanding between communities is key to a better future. We are all beautiful and worthy of love."