Forever 21's Studio Caleidoscope Sandals - Oddly Familiar?
07:13:00
'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.'
Charles Caleb Colton
The gora people are back with their rendition of a desi trend/fashion. This time, Forever 21 has introduced a new line of flat sandals 'Studio Caleidoscope' that are basically: kohlapuris. I mean, come on, look at these:
Familiar no?
The internet is losing it's marbles because:
1. As always, no credits for inspiration are given;
2. They're retailing for approximately 10x the price that one can get them for in local markets (such as Sunday Bazaar, Dupatta Gali in Lahore, Zainab Market in Karachi etc)!
The West has many a times picked up a hidden gem (faux pearl chandelier, i.e. a bindiya) from the South Asian community and made it into an international trend. While some engage in social media wars claiming rightful credits to the ideas, others laugh it off. And then there is me (and possibly a lot more of us) who thinks that this is something to be proud of. Credits or no credits, we know where it originates from, and that's all that matters.
But, there is another funny (read:sad) thing to note here. The ideas that are 'stolen' are often dying trends or simply something that we don't give enough importance to and then BAM. As soon as it becomes an international star, we run off to the local retailers and begin flaunting our latest buys (case in point: Paul Smith's peshawari chappals; now we've got ladies' peshawari chappals as well that are totally cool and not paindu as they might have been perceived a couple of years ago)
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| Peshwari Chappals by Odd & Eve (all debate aside, these are absolutely gorgeous) |
My sincerest wish is that the latest Studio Caleidoscope trend fueled by Forever 21 proves beneficial for the local retailers and manufacturers of kohlapuris and their sales increase! Here's to desi fashion all the way!
Let me know what you think of the branded kohlapuris!
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