French luxury goods company Dior is facing widespread criticism for an advertising campaign that some Native Americans have said perpetuates stereotypes.
Image: Reuters/M.Anzuoni
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A Christian Dior promotional video for its Sauvage cologne was pulled on Friday following widespread criticism on social media, with critics accusing the company of cultural appropriation.
Dior has produced Sauvage since the mid-1960s and has used Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in recent years to promote it. But the new advertising campaign paired them with Native American imagery, deepening wounds among a population whose ancestors were called savages and systematically killed.
In French, sauvage has a variety of meanings, including wild, unspoiled and savage.
The video, which featured Johnny Depp, showed a Lakota dancer in colorful clothing that the company said embodied modern Native American culture, and promised more details on the fragrance Monday.
Dior's tweet said: "An authentic journey deep into the Native American soul in a sacred, founding and secular territory. More to come. September 1st."
Dior's website also advertises the perfume as having "warm oriental tones."
Raising awareness
The trailer and videos drew heavy criticism, with many calling them racist and accusing the company of cultural appropriation.The videos were removed from Dior's Instagram and Twitter accounts hours later, although they still appeared on some unrelated accounts devoted to Depp.
Dior worked with Americans for Indian Opportunity, a respected but sometimes controversial consulting firm based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the campaign. The same group ceremoniously adopted Depp as an honorary member of the Comanche Nation while he was filming the 2013 adaptation of "The Lone Ranger."
Executive director Laura Harris said she expected the backlash but wanted to ensure that it would educate people on indigenous values and philosophy.
"Our aim was, hopefully, that the controversy would do exactly what it's done on social media and raise people's awareness," she told The Associated Press.
A look back: 70 years of Christian Dior
Marking 70 years since the start of the Dior fashion house, the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris is hosting a huge retrospective on the life and work of the world-famous designer.
Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs/Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel
'Quite a revolution!'
"It's quite a revolution, dear Christian! Your dresses have such a new look!" said Carmel Snow, the former editor-in-chief of the American edition of Harper's Bazaar when Dior unveiled his first collection in 1947. The exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris is the largest ever retrospective of the Dior fashion house.
Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs/Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel
Dior and friends
Dior was friends with numerous artists, such as Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau. The curators have included several portraits of Dior throughout the exhibition, including this one painted by German artist Paul Strecker in 1928.
Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs/Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel
Modern collection
While Dior was a lover of Art Nouveau and 19th-century art, he also collected sculptures and painting made by his contemporaries. "Retrospective bust of a woman," one of Dali's first pieces, was on display at the Dior exhibit.
Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs/Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel
Artistic inspiration
Dior often took inspiration from paintings for his designs. Here, the Madeleine gown almost feels as if it came straight out of Giovanni Boldini's "Portrait of Madame R.I.", at left.
Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs/Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel
Impressionism, pret-a-porter
This gown, created by Raf Simons for a Miss Dior commercial, looks like an impressionist painting. It is made of mousseline fabric.
Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs/Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel
Dior with a twist
Dior's successors, such as John Galliano, kept the designer's touch while incorporating their own perspective. These two gowns by Galliano were inspired by primitive art.
Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs/Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel
Making history
"Dovima and the Elephants," an iconic photo by American fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon, was taken in 1955 and is considered one of the most important pictures in fashion history. The gown worn by the model was designed by Yves Saint Laurent for Dior.
Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs/Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel
A new take on Dior
Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director at Dior since July 2016, was the first women to succeed Christian Dior as head of the fashion house. She has blended her own personal style with the unmistakable Dior silhouette.
Image: Musée des Arts Décoratifs/Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel
World-famous silhouettes
The world-famous Dior silhouette, overly feminine, was inspired by paintings. "There's a clear inspiration from silhouette from the 18th and 19th centuries," explained Olivier Gabet, the museum's director. Taking a note from this, the exhibition ends in a ballroom filled with glittering ball gowns, some previously worn by movie stars.
