Faux Dreadlocks Return to Fashion Week, but It’s Not What You Think

At first glance, the Gypsy Sport Fall 2017 show looked as though it was going to ruffle some feathers with the faux dreadlocks that models were sporting. But these faux locs were different from what the fashion industry had previously seen on the runway.

After last season’s Marc Jacobs fiasco, in which the designer sent white models with multicolored pastel dreadlocks down the runway for his Spring 2017 collection, we didn’t expect to see this controversial hairstyle again or anytime soon.

But Gypsy Sport designer Rio Uribe is always pushing the envelope. The runway was filled with models many would probably consider to be unconventional: People of different ethnicities were cast from social media. Uribe told Yahoo Style he wanted his castings to include “young, global, and fresh models.”

The message behind the hair and beauty? Awareness and love. The show was dedicated to raising awareness of Paris’s homeless youths, and giving credit to them for their resilience and creativity against all odds.

“The designer had spent some time in Paris and had been very touched by all the migrants that were living in and on the outskirts of the city, in tents and in need. He realized that fashion can be a platform to share love, and that’s what served as our inspiration for the [different] hairstyles,” said Bumble and Bumble global artistic director Laurent Philippon. “This show and the hair attempt to be as anti-selfish as possible. That’s what we must be when loving and embracing everyone for who they are.”

The various hairstyles included Afros, faux locs, mounting beehives, and thick braids with baby hairs, an obvious nod to ’90s hip-hop and R&B.

Also walking the show were three models with natural, voluminous dreadlocks.

By employing models of color with real dreadlocks, Uribe makes a strong case for against cultural appropriation. Perhaps the biggest message one can take away from Gypsy Sport is that diversity should be reflected through the models, embracing people for who they are.

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