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December 2, 2008 7:20:09 PM CST

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Vogue's India Poverty Shoot Pits Couture vs. Culture

Posted Sep 2, 08 12:07 PM CDT in World,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – Vogue India is taking heat for a haute couture fashion spread that uses poverty-ridden locals for models, the New York Times reports. A toothless, barefoot man holding a $200 Burberry umbrella and a rumpled baby in a $100 Fendi bib are just two examples that have irked some critics in a country where 456 million live on less than $1.25 a day.

“Lighten up,” the mag’s editor warns. “You have to remember with fashion, you can’t take it that seriously. We weren’t trying to make a political statement or save the world.” But in a country where extreme poverty and high privilege often rub elbows, the spread is a “downright distasteful … example of vulgarity,” one newspaper columnist says.

Source New York Times

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A page from Vogue India's August fashion spread.   (New York Times)
A page from Vogue India's August issue.   (New York Times)
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Fashion is no longer a rich man’s privilege. Anyone can carry it off and make it look beautiful. You have to remember with fashion, you can’t take it that seriously. - Priya Tanna, Vogue India editor

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India • fashion • poverty • photography • fashion designer • Vogue • fashion industry


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