Thursday, September 12, 2019

My Favorite Dress


Back in spring I visited the Mile High Flea Market, which I highly recommend going to if you live in Denver and I saw this dress in a shop that technically wasn't open and I fell in love. I immediately asked the woman who was opening if I could come inside and she agreed. I didn't see the name of the shop but if you go to these coordinates, you should be able to find it. I adore the embroidery, bright colors and the history of the piece. It is truly my favorite thing I own.

Now, let's talk the history behind San Gabriel Chilac Chanel. 

First, they are called San Gabriel Chilac Chanel. Second, they are made in the Sierra Negra in Puebla. The people who make the dresses have been doing so for generations. However, with the recent popularity of these dresses, the people from the Sierra Negra have been taken advantage of by third parties. And now manufacturers are making dresses like these because of that popularity and none of the money is going into the Sierra Negra.* 

Also, with this competition for the marketplace, reproductions can be made in under an hour on a computer. There are still people making these classic pieces in the Sierra Negra, some of which are here.**

Moral of the story: please make sure you know who you are buying from, why you are buying something & make sure to respect the culture when you wear something like this. Cultural appropriation is a real thing. It happens on a daily basis. By wearing something that is traditional of the community you are taking that on. So, if you wear a dress like this you better be supporting Mexican artisans, you better be learning the history of the people whose culture you are wearing, you better be all about freeing children kept in cages & reuniting families and you better be about abolishing ICE.***

Now for some organizations to donate to:

Abolish ICE by calling your reps
Mijente fights for Latinx rights
Immigrant Justice Corps fights deportation

No comments:

Post a Comment