American fashion designer Rick Owens caused quite the uproar Thursday afternoon with his Paris Fashion Week showing. Instead of choosing the normative tall, thin and pale models to display his Spring/Summer 2014 Ready-To-Wear collection, Owens cast a predominantly Black, mostly curvy dance team. The performers were recruited from the U.S., and were hailed by journalists, critics and bloggers for exposing the international fashion world to the historic art form.
Stepping, which draws its roots from African and pre-Emancipation dancing, is most commonly performed by Black Greek organizations under the National Pan-Hellenic Council at various events, like probate shows and competitions. Groups can be seen stomping, clapping and using their bodies as percussive instruments, in addition to marching, walking in closely connected formations and making intimidating faces.
Rick Owens’ models did all of this, while walking down an elaborate stage in front of a packed crowd. Those who identify closely with stepping in its main form saw the show through a slightly different lens. They felt like the performance failed to educate viewers about where the choreography comes from, which is why some news outlets used words like “tribal dancing” to describe it. Others, who belong to NPHC organizations, believed the moves were a complete ripoff of the culture they belong to. But the general sentiment was that Owens’ decision was a bold celebration of both racial and body diversity, on the heels of heated debate over the lack of such diversity in fashion. Observers quoted Nina Simone, calling the models “young, gifted & Black.”
