Fashion designer accused of ‘racism’ for sending models down the catwalk wearing cornrow wigs

A Japanese fashion designer has come under fire for sending white models down the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week sporting the controversial look.

A Japanese designer is being accused of cultural appropriation after sending models down the runway in wigs designed to look like cornrows.

The Comme des Garcon’s Paris Fashion Week show, held on Friday, showcased several different male models, many of whom were white, strutting down the runway wearing the brand’s latest collection.

As well as modelling the designer’s upcoming range, nearly all the models sported what appeared to be ill-fitting cornrow wigs, Fox News reports.

The criticism was swift on social media, with some deeming it a “racist” show and others declaring that Commes des Garcons was “cancelled”.

Fashion label Comme Des Garcons has come under fire for sending models down the catwalk sporting a ‘culturally appropriated’ look. Picture: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP

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“I’m outraged and disgusted by your models’ choice of hairstyle knowing where it originated from. Where is the real representation?!?” one user wrote on Instagram.

“Cancel culture incoming y’all really messed up on this one, man,” another user said.

“They wanna make money off the culture but don’t wanna show love and respect to the people,” someone else commented.

“Racist show!” another simply wrote.

The models’ wigs have raised the ire of social media, with some commenters calling the designer ‘racist’. Picture: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP

Commes des Garcons has yet to issue a statement in the wake of the social media storm. Picture: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP

Others, still, appeared to be just as offended by the placement and quality of the lace-front wigs.

“Cornrow forehead wigs?” one asked.

“I can’t even be mad because I know y’all did this for attention but come on … the lace? At least do it right,” someone else added.

On Friday, Canadian fashion designer and model Tani also called out the brand in a Twitter post that has been liked more than 3438 times.

lmaoooo why?! y’all this is from comme des garcons pfw fall 2020 men’s collection.... pic.twitter.com/8HtItlIIWg

— TANI (@TANIRICHES) January 17, 2020

Lmaoooo why?!” she wrote.

Commes des Garcons has not publicly commented on the backlash, nor shared any photos from the show on its Instagram page as of Saturday afternoon.

The fashion house, however, had once come under similar scrutiny in 2018 following accusations from fashion writer Marin Lerma that it had not hired a black model in the two decades prior.

Kim Kardashian-West was criticised in 2018 after she appeared at the MTV Movie and Television awards with her hair in cornrows. Photo by Valerie Macon/ AFP)

That same year, Kim Kardashian also faced criticism for arriving at the 2018 MTV Movie and TV Awards with her hair in cornrows.

“It’s not cute to appropriate my culture,” one critic wrote on social media at the time. “Your privilege is really showing.”

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission