In recent years, some prominent fashion houses have begun to expand their lines to include customers from previously underserved, especially Muslim women. Top designers like Dolce & Gabbana, H&M, Marks & Spencer, and Uniqlo have all added lines of clothing and headgear that cater to Muslim women.
Pierre Bergé — who’s the 85-year old co-founder of luxury fashion house Yves Saint Laurent seems to be having a major problem with this trend.
In his words:
“I am scandalized. Creators should have nothing to do with Islamic fashion. Designers are there to make women more beautiful, to give them their freedom, not to collaborate with this dictatorship, which imposes this abominable thing by which we hide women and make them live a hidden life. These creators who are taking part in the enslavement of women should ask themselves some questions.”
Pierre Bergé continued by saying that brands marketing such collections are only in it for the profit and should “renounce the money and have some principles.” He emphasized that he has nothing against Islam, adding, “I live in Morocco most of the time, I am really not Islamophobic.”
British writer Shelina Janmohamed found his comments offensive had this to say in a column for the Telegraph, “The claim that Muslim women can’t make independent, carefully considered choices of their own (including determining their own fashion sense) is terribly insulting and reduces us to children. Poor Muslim women. And women of color who face similar condescension and must be ‘saved’ from themselves. To claim that any woman can’t think for herself and must be helped to know what’s good for her is infantilization on steroids, and is a perfect example of the very attitude that feminists have been attempting to dismantle for centuries.”
Photo credit: soudouest.fr
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