UK Edition
Chanel's £1,100 boomerang branded 'a new level of ignorance' for appropriating Aboriginal culture
The luxury fashion label Chanel has been criticised in Australia for “stealing” from Aboriginal culture after creating a branded boomerang priced at £1,100 for its spring-summer 2017 pre-collection.
The wood and resin item, included in Chanel’s catalogue under the tag “other accessories”, prompted a furore on social media and drew criticisms from some members of the Aboriginal community.
“Wrong on so many levels,” said a comment on twitter.
Another said: “Cultural appropriation hits a new low – I sincerely hope that Chanel is donating all the profits to underprivileged Aboriginal communities.”
Alison Page, an Aboriginal designer and filmmaker, told The Telegraph that Chanel’s boomerang marked “a new level of ignorance”.
“It’s 2017 and people haven’t worked out yet that appropriating another culture’s artefacts and putting your brand on it is offensive,” she said.
“It is appropriating our culture and commodifying it without reference to its origins and where it is actually from. Will they bring out a Chanel stone axe next? The Chanel Indian headdress?”
The French fashion house expressed regret for any offence caused by the boomerang. Its catalogue also includes £330 tennis balls and a £2,800 set of beach rackets and balls.
Boomerangs have been used previously by fashion houses, including a hand-sculpted version produced by Hermès in 2013.
Matthew Rimmer, an intellectual property expert at the Queensland University of Technology, said Chanel should apologise and compensate the Aboriginal community.
"As a good corporate citizen, Chanel should apologise fully, withdraw the boomerang from sale, and make appropriate reparations to Australian Indigenous communities," he told Fairfax Media.
Ms Page said she welcomed efforts by non-Aboriginal artists and designers to try to “co-create” works in cooperation with the Aboriginal community.
But she said Chanel appeared to be “stealing” from Aboriginal culture and was simply “putting their badge on it [the boomerang]”.
Rod Little, co-chair of the National Congress of Australia's First People, said he had not seen the boomerang but believed Chanel should have consulted the Aboriginal community about it. However he noted that Chanel had previously worked closely with the Aboriginal community.
“Some time ago there were some relationships with Aboriginal people around using sandalwood and sandalwood oil for perfume,” he told The Telegraph. “They were very conscious of cultural respect. I do not know what happened here.”