Fashion between Inspiration and Appropriation

Fashion is considered an element of “cultural identity”. At the same time, it has always
been a dynamic phenomenon in which different styles, designs and models converged, acting both
as a source of attraction for designers as well as a source of inspiration to draw and depart from in
an attempt at innovation. Influences were reciprocal, with the phenomenon of Orientalism going
hand in hand with that of Occidentalism. Today’s discussion focuses on the vindication by various
ethnic groups of ways to protect their own folklore as expression of their own cultural identity. The
questions that arise are manifold. This contribution aims at framing the problem in the nowadays
fashion industry as well as investigating the various possibilities of protecting folklore while
preserving cultural identity. The discussion will deal with recent studies that have analyzed the
various aspects of cultural appropriation. Intellectual property will be taken into consideration as a
way to protect folklore. Nevertheless, this article suggests that other options for achieving
protection of cultural heritage and folklore emerge in the field of Private Governance and Corporate
Social Responsibility that will offer new opportunities to tackle the problem of cultural appropriation
in the fashion world.