A Canadian fashion magazine is in hot water after declaring that dashikis — a traditional West African clothing item — are the "newest It-item of note."
The Elle Canada article had a slideshow of celebrities like Beyoncé and Shay Mitchell wearing dashikis.
"Is the dashiki the new kaftan?" the headline asked.
"Originating from West Africa, this tribal printed shirt is on our style radar. See how celebs are rocking their dashikis."
The whole thing left people asking: how can a traditional garment with a history all its own ever be called a new "It" item?
Elle magazine trying to appropriate, trying to call the dashiki "new" plz stfu
Elle Canada now claiming Dashiki is a new invention. Cultural imperialism 101. 😒😒😒😒
@ElleCanada Dashiki's are alot of things. NEW isn't one of them. Bye Elle!
RT @ElleCanada The dashiki, everyone. Behold the newest It-item of note http://t.co/5BjJCYKn4d http://t.co/SV3MMIztkU
The tweet and article have since been deleted. BuzzFeed Canada has reached out to Elle Canada for comment.
As some pointed out, Elle was saying dashikis are trendy of late, rather than a new invention. Some of the celebs in the gallery were wearing screen-printed dashikis designed by the likes of Dimepiece and Ron Bass.
Still, the article and tweet struck many as yet another example of cultural appropriation in fashion.
And after stories of white models sporting afros and all manner of inappropriate people wearing indigenous headdresses, cultural appropriation is one trend that will never be an "It-item."