Here we are. The second blog post of Cerita Vittoria but the first one that will focus on fashion.
Let’s talk about big straw hats, as they came back this summerwith another little controversy.
If you’ll remember last year Bella Hadid posted a picture of herself wearing a very large hat, a sombrero, while on the beach. The picture quickly went viral and French designer of the moment Jacquemus posted Hadid’s picture (now deleted) on their Instagram feed, as if the hat was theirs.
I wrote “as if” because they tried to pass another designer’s work as Jacquemus. In fact, the hat was Olmos y Flores’s, a Mexican brand that created the hat taking inspiration form their culture and the handcraft of making sombreros.
More recently, Diet Prada spotted a second #Hatgate. While the big sombrero remains in the picture, the main focus is the poseof the girl/influencer: naked, covering her private parts, under the shadow of the hat.
It all started when Amanda Ensing commented under Kylie Jenner’s post portraying her sitting naked on the edge of a pool wearing a large hat covering her most precious possessions. Amanda wrote “This photo looks awfully familiar”. Of course people, and Diet Prada, were quickly to call out Amanda herself, as a few months prior to her Kim Zolciak-Biermann posted an identical picture of that of Amanda.
Most importantly, a naked, shadow-filled picture containing a big sombrero, is most definitely not ground-breaking. And if someone is truly to be credited in these past few years, it should be Jacquemus’ model Amilna Estevao who wore the designer’s giant straw hat down Jacquemus' Spring / Summer 2018 runway.
The point I’m trying to make is: where do we draw the line between taking inspiration from someone and having to credit that person? But mostly, is it really realistic that an influencer (who became so by following trends and making other people follow them) asks for credits for a picture that any girl with a big hat can take and has probably taken and already posted on social media?
I have to be honest, I did not know any of the people involved in this new #Hatgate except for Kylie Jenner, but most time big names or brands do steal from smaller artists, like in the first #Hatgate. In these occasions the artist should demand to be credited when others use/steal their work; especially because artists usually have a very distinctive style making it easy to spot it. But I’m not sure it can be said the same about influencers.
They’re here to influence us with the latest trends and items that brands send them for free. Or that they buy to be fashionable. How creative can this process really be? I am 100% sure that some influencers have a very clear 'vibe' and mind of their own, like Tavi Gevinson or Leandra Medine who have both expanded their original blog creating online magazines and books; respectively Rookie and Man Repeller. Unfortunately I have a feeling that these a rare exceptions.
What do you think about this topic? Can influencers claim to be credited when someone takes a picture similar to theirs? Let me know!
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