Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 9, 1 September 2021 — Bellissimo! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Bellissimo!

0HA's mediation efforts help turn a contraversy into a beautiful collaboration between ltalian fashion designer REDValentino and Native Hawaiian fashion designers

By Ed Kalama ometimes, a little aloha goes a long way. In July, Italian fashion brand REDValentino announced that three Native Hawaiian k y designers will be featured in REDValentino's suhmission to a prestigious London arts festival this September, as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Italian luxury fashion brand, Maison Valentino, and the Native Hawaiian community. The Native Hawaiian designs will be featured on REDValentino's special capsule collection dedicated to London's prestigious annual floral art show - Chelsea in Bloom, part of an ongoing partnership between the renowned brand and the Native Hawaiian community. The Native Hawaiian designers are Kēhaulani Nielson of Kahulale'a; Manaola Yap of MANAOLA; and Kini Zamora. They will eaeh produce a specially designed textile pattern to be incorporated with REDValentino's ready-to wear collection. The eollection will debut in REDValentino's display at the Chelsea in Bloom Festival in London. "It's exciting to have our culture and art featured alongside some the most respected and famous fashion designers in the world," Zamora said. "The opportunity to showcase our work at the Chelsea in Bloom Festival raises the profiles of Native Hawaiian designers as well as the growing fashion industry in Hawai' i. Hopefully, this will open more doors for us internationally and inspire other young Kānaka to chase their dreams." The Chelsea in Bloom Festival features a renowned floral art competition among the affluent area's hotels, restaurants, and retail stores, whieh includes some of the most influential international fashion brands. With the theme of "Extraordinary Voyages," this year's festival is scheduled for Sept. 20 through Sept. 25. The Native Hawaiian designer project has the full support of REDValentino. The brand is Maison Valentino's contemporary line, whieh was founded in 1960 by Italian designer Valentino Garavani. REDValentino and the Native Hawaiian artists

collaborated on the designs to be featured at the Chelsea in Bloom Festival. In addition, the hnal Native Hawaiian designs will be sold at REDValentino's Ala Moana store and through the brand's eCommerce. This ongoing collaboration between REDValentino and the Native Hawaiian community stems from a controversy with the Italian fashion company's Spring/Summer 2021 collection. In late February, REDValentino released images on its social media of one of its new designs that featured a well-known Native Hawaiian 'ulu (breadfruit) quilting pattern, without acknowledging its origins. The Instagram post received hundreds of eomments accusing REDValentino of cultural appropriation. Shortly thereafter, REDValentino reached out to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to initiate a dialogue with the Native Hawaiian community. REDValentino also removed the 'ulu design from its online store but left the Instagram post in the spirit of transparency and accountability. OHA's first move was to connect REDValentino with Aunty Vicky Holt Takamine, a highly respectSEE BELLISSIMO ON PAGE 23

The work of 'Ōiwi designers Kēhouloni Nielson, Manoolo Yap and Kini Zamora (l-r) will be featu red allhe prestigious Chelsea in Bloom arts festival in London this month. - Photos: Courtesy

Deslgned by Kēhaulani Nielson

BELLISSIMO

Continued from page4 ed kumu hula, force of nature, and the leader of the 'īlio'ulaokalani Coalition, a political advocacy group of kumu hula and other cultural practitioners. The coalition has been a leader for more than two decades in protecting Native Hawaiian intellectual property rights. The three designers were invited by Takamine, who is also the executive director of the PA'I Foundation and the producer of the annual MAMo Wearable Arts Show - a showcase of Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners - to participate in this collaboration with REDValentino. Over the next few months, OHA helped facilitate discussions between the 'īlio'ulaokalani Coaltion, Native Hawaiian quilters and designers, and REDValentino. "For decades, the Native Hawaiian community has fought to protect our traditions and culture from commercial exploitation by some of the largest corporations in the world. From the start, it was clear that this incident was going to result in a positive resolution because REDValentino wanted to make this pono. They were honest and not only said the right things, but did the right things," Takamine said, adding, "After Chelsea in Bloom, we are working to launeh another collaboration between the Valentino team and Native Hawaiian quilters." OHA's Community Outreach Manager Davis Price and Puhlie Policy Advocate Olan Leimomi Fisher were key players, along with Takamine, in bringing both sides to a successful resolution. "Basically, OHA helped to bridge the gap between REDValentino executives and the Native Hawaiian artist community by helping to facilitate and guide discussions in a respectful and productive way," Fisher said. "I am so proud of everyone at OHA for allowing REDValentino the opportunity to apologize and make amends for their mistake - instead of just calling them out for cultural appropriation and then walking away. "Overall, this was a great example of how accountability and forgiveness ean make way for amazingly unique and beautiful collaborations and creations by people of extremely different cultures and points-of-view. This story started with a big oversight and mistake, but with true accountability and humility, it led to forgiveness, understanding, and eventually respect, making space for an unlikely and wonderful partnership." Price was philosophical as well. "REDValentino's quick acknowledgement of their mistake and willingness to take corrective action was a major factor in finding a positive outeome," he said. "Too often, entities that misappropriate Hawaiian culture or intellectual property fail to acknowledge their mistake, fail to give proper credit, and ultimately challenge the claims of the

Hawaiian community. When the offending party acknowledges and apologizes, it opens the door for collaboration like this. "REDValentino's response to their initial misstep should serve as a model for all companies, internationally and locally, on how to respectfully engage when seeking to utilize something that belongs to the Native Hawaiian culture. The best first step is to meaningfully engage and include Native Hawaiians." "It has been a real extraordinary voyage towards appreciation and knowledge," said Alessio Vannetti, chief brand officer of Maison Valentino. "Collaborating with Native Hawaiian creatives was not only a way to foster creativity, but also a means to raise awareness over a mesmerizing and intriguing culture; giving the right recognition, voice and the right meaning for a mutually heneheial exchange. "Crossing cultures, meeting halfway to create a superb collaboration. This capsule collection is a dialogue made of eommon respect - a new language made of the traditional and the contemporary that ean definitely be positive and enrich our souls." Designer Yap said that involvement in the project is due in part to the goodwill of REDValentino in making things pono with the cultural eommunity. "It is important for us to not just take control of our own narratives as Native Hawaiians, but also to uphold the spirit of aloha when people want to make things right," Yap said. "Our ability to move forward as a lāhui is also in our ability to have these conversations and be a part of the solution. We are thrilled and honored to stand together with two other talented designers for the opportunity to share the cultural arts of Hawai' i on a global scale." "Principally, the humility and apologetic nature shown by REDValentino in addressing this situation is refreshing, given the long history of antagonistic behavior of executives from other companies that have appropriated Native Hawaiian culture," said OHA CEO/Ka Pouhana Dr. Sylvia Hussey. "OHA greatly appreciates REDValentino's efforts in accepting their wrongdoing and committing to working proactively with the Native Hawaiian community to rectify the issue and move forward." Price added that in the big picture, Native Hawaiians ean stand with anyone in the world. "The most important thing to take away from this is that Native Hawaiians have a great deal to contribute to the world, and ean do so on the highest platforms," he said. "When proper recognition is given to Native Hawaiians for the inspiration or creation of an idea, a pieee of art, or a new business, then we have an opportunity to enhanee that project by bringing the mo'olelo and mo'okū'auhau of Hawai'i into that space. Everyone benefits when that happens." ■