With the rapid influx of trends and speed of the trend cycle in the fashion industry, ensuring that designs do not overstep cultural lines is crucial. Fashion trends play off of what’s popular and trending, but sometimes research into the background of these trends can be overlooked. In order to maintain respect across different communities and to prevent cultural appropriation, fashion designers should make sure that they understand where designs come from and their potential history.

I asked our PR & growth experts: How can new fashion designers position themselves to make socially informed decisions when it comes to creating designs for their brand? Why is it important to be aware of cultural significance in fashion?

Here are the experts' insights:

• If you're drawn to a cultural element, collaborate with artists from that community.
• Fashion isn’t neutral, it carries centuries of memory in every thread.
• Study the stories and histories of the styles that inspire you
• Positioning for socially informed design
• Develop a creative foundation that is rooted in authenticity
• Credit visuals, fabrics, and motifs
• Engage community leaders from the source culture
• Consult with historians, cultural practitioners or individuals within the communities

If you're drawn to a cultural element, collaborate with artists from that community.

Sylwester Skóra, VP Marketing at Two Flags™ Vodka

"I'm building Two Flags™ Vodka as a Polish-American brand, and we learned early that heritage isn't just a marketing angle—it's a responsibility. When we decided to name our vodka after General Pulaski and center our brand on Polish-American identity, my father and I knew we had to get it right because we're representing both cultures, not just borrowing from them.

The biggest lesson came when we were designing our bottle and marketing materials. We didn't just slap flags together and call it authentic—we worked directly with Polish distillers at the historic Old Distillery in Rawicz and made sure every element of our story, from the organic wheat selection to the production process, was genuinely rooted in Polish vodka-making tradition. When you're actually from the culture you're representing, you feel the weight of getting it wrong.

Here's what actually works: make someone from that community a decision-maker, not just a reviewer. At Two Flags™, we're not consultants giving advice on Polish culture—we ARE Polish immigrants building this brand. When we sponsor events like Taste of Polonia or the Volleyball Nations League, we're investing in our own community, not extracting from it. The authenticity shows in our reviews and our growing presence in Chicagoland's Polish-American markets.

For fashion designers, I'd say skip the "inspiration board" approach to other cultures. If you're drawn to a cultural element, find a way to collaborate with artists or manufacturers from that community as partners with equity or profit-sharing, not just as suppliers. Our vodka succeeds because Polish craftsmanship isn't our aesthetic—it's literally who makes our product."

Fashion isn’t neutral, it carries centuries of memory in every thread.

Deepak Shukla, Founder & CEO at Pearl Lemon PR

"Cultural appreciation starts with curiosity, not Pinterest. Before sketching a pattern inspired by ‘tribal’ art, talk to someone from that tribe. Pay them, credit them, work with them. Fashion isn’t neutral, it carries centuries of memory in every thread. Awareness isn’t about political correctness, it’s about being human enough to know that beauty often comes from pain, and pain deserves attribution."

Study the stories and histories of the styles that inspire you

Chris Kirksey, Founder & CEO at Direction.com

"Fashion has always been a space where culture, identity, and creativity intersect, so paying attention to how designs relate to different communities matters deeply to me. Running Direction.com, I see how brands that understand and respect cultural context create stronger, more meaningful connections with their audience. Helping designers navigate these decisions is part of shaping an industry that values creativity without crossing boundaries.

Contemporary fashion designers can set themselves to create socially conscious designs by studying the stories and histories of the styles that inspire them. This involves spending time with the cultures that give rise to the productions, talking to craftsmen, attending cultural events, and learning the significance of the patterns, materials and techniques. Quick internet searches, or trend watching without studying the context tend to miss the deep meanings inherent in these elements, whereas, designers who take the time to study and honour the ways they came into being, can create works that are deliberate, having purpose and meaning, that resonate in a manner that carries forward the culture thereby not misrepresenting it.

Understanding the cultural significance of elements of design used in fashion is very important for each and every one, as every element has meaning considerably beyond aesthetics. The history, identity and personal or social narratives embedded in the colours, textures and symbols represented in fashion may be significant historically, in some instances reflecting traditions going back centuries. Disregarding that history may through ignorance, omit or misrepresent a culture, therefore hurting not only the cultures but the brand itself. Awareness will enable designers to successfully honour places of inspiration often by way of collaboration or acknowledgement, or toys with clothing that reflects the heritage without appropriation, adding contemporary significance. The weight of culture will enhance the personal image of the brand, and reflects the emotional quality of the offered designs thereby significantly increasing the connection between the designs and their audience."

Positioning for socially informed design

Raphael Akobundu, Nurse Practitioner at Huddle Men's Health

"New fashion designers set themselves up for socially informed choices by incorporating the practice of structured cultural auditing in the fundamental design process, choosing education over pace. This means insuring that documentation of origin research is done for any element of a design that suggests the presence of cultural heritage, pattern, or motif before prototyping starts. The designer has to set aside a certain fixed percentage of the design budget-for instance, 10 to 15 percent-to be used for consultation fees among relevant cultural experts or community liaisons, rather than relying on searches in the internet. This gives the creation of an auditable paper trail of direct and compensated engagement with the source community, which can essentially shift the position from passive appropriation risk to active and ethical collaboration. Clients report that they trust brands who exhibit a transparent commitment to the people who stand behind the aesthetic rather than the aesthetic itself.

Awareness of cultural significance in fashion is important as ignoring the origin of designs is directly against the longevity and ethical standing of the brand in a highly visible digital marketplace. A lack of awareness of the sacred or historical context of a pattern is turning a design from homage to offensive and the immediate backlash will result in significant and measurable financial loss. My team sees the consumer trust is now linked to demonstrable social responsibility. A designer who knows that a particular textile pattern, for example, represents some uncompensated community tradition avoids controversies that can reduce future sales by 25 percent or more and permanently damage the perceived value of the brand. Ethical understanding is no moral preference but is a necessary prerequisite for stable commercial success in the modern retail environment."

Develop a creative foundation that is rooted in authenticity

James Myers, Sales Director & Office Manager at VINEVIDA

"Designers new to a particular culture, should consult with members of the community prior to developing concepts. Research post-concept design is the method most commonly used by brands; however, the most authentic and sustainable designs are developed through a collaborative process between designers and members of the community. The process of consulting with 5-10 members of the community, will provide designers with the opportunity to learn about the culture's history, traditions and values through the lens of those who understand them best. While conducting this type of research may be time consuming, it provides a level of knowledge and detail that cannot be found through online research. The importance of this type of research is exemplified in many ways such as learning the symbolic meaning of a pattern or the cultural significance of specific color combinations. A failure to obtain this knowledge could result in costly mistakes to a brand’s reputation and financial stability.

Culturally relevant design is not a box to check off on a checklist. Culturally relevant design is a responsible way to operate in today's interconnected world. Designers that understand the historical and cultural relevance of an aesthetic do more than create a design that will not offend a certain group of people. They develop a creative foundation that is rooted in authenticity and therefore resonates with authenticity. Authenticity is a key factor in building a successful brand and one of the reasons why culturally relevant design is so important. When consumers can quickly recognize a lack of sincerity in a brand, a brand must have awareness and a genuine respect for the culture they are designing for to have the greatest chance of success."

Credit visuals, fabrics, and motifs

Joel Lim, Finance Expert at Becoin.Net

"I feel that cultural awareness begins with curiosity and comes hand-in-hand with accountability.

New designers should research the origin before starting any collection this includes not only aesthetic appeal, concern for representation, its places of origin, and historical contexts.

I have seen great wins for brands which associate themselves with local artists or historians before adopting cultural symbols or patterns, therefore rendering inspiration into collaboration against appropriation.

Designers can keep a checklist for cultural reviews, whereby they can be sure that visuals, fabrics, or motifs are all referenced ethically and credited adequately.

As a matter of fact, the study of fashion is concerned more with identity and representation, and that reflects on how the public perceives the values of a brand.

Ignoring this link could lead to alienation from the very communities that fashion draws inspiration from, while working in harmony will instill trust and lead to authenticity.

In short, socially informed design is not just good ethics but also good business."

Engage community leaders from the source culture

Jesse Singh, Founder at Maadho

"New fashion designers need to make due diligence a necessary step of the design process in order to ensure that they are not creating cultural appropriation, and therefore the research cannot be an afterthought. This includes having a clear and multi-step cultural verification process prior to going to production with a design. In the design of any product or service, designers may mandate that any concept that is derived from the particular non-Western culture or minority culture should be subject to the documented examination of that culture's history, original usage and current community significance with sources cited. The next best way, my team sees as active engagement and payment of cultural experts or community leaders from the source culture to provide direct feedback on the interpretation of the design. This is above and beyond the cursory level internet search to provide an ethical relationship and an informed consent to reduce dramatically the risk of offense.

Awareness of cultural significance is key here as the reputational and financial implications of cultural appropriation is too costly for fashion brands. A single insensitive design can cause widespread public backlash with dire consequences in terms of loss of brand equity, loss of sale, massive loss in sales, etc. In one case reported one of the leading fashion retail was protested and suffered a tangible drop in the market sentiment due to a cultural insensitive garment costing the retailer far more than the cost of simple changes to the design. Having a good understanding of the history of a design allows a brand to jump from potentially exploitative copying to respectful acknowledgement. This shift is preserving the value of the brand over time due to the trust of a diverse range of consumers who are demanding ethical and considerate production."

Consult with historians, cultural practitioners or individuals within the communities

Matthew Clark, Owner & Lead Attorney at The Clark Law Office

"I deal with cases in my years of experience, and where attention to detail and accountability can mean the difference between a justice and a loss, and I observe it to be the same with fashion design. I believe that by rushing to embrace trends without investigating their sources, designers may run the risk of going cross-cultural and alienating communities whose culture is being falsely portrayed. In my opinion, learning the history and interpretation of patterns, symbols, or styles is more than a question of sensitivity. Looking into a wider perspective, it upholds a brand reputation and removes the consequences of public disapproval which could be a cost to the company.

I think new designers will be able to place themselves in a way to make socially informed choices by defining a research process per collection. This may involve interacting with historians, cultural practitioners or individuals within the communities that provide an inspiration to the work. The recording of such consultations can be a demonstration of purposefulness and deference. By acting in these ways, brands are able to prevent missteps, create trust and show that their designs are based on appreciation and not exploitation. I have observed the importance of meticulous record keeping and decisive action in complicated court proceedings to avoid needless losses and the principle can be transferred to the context of the cultural factor in fashion.

It is respect, vision and guarding the people being represented as well as the brand itself."

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