Last week, Kim Kardashian announced the launch of her new shapewear brand, “Kimono”. The term is identical to a traditional Japanese dress, with the only difference being the capitalization of the “k”. Understandably, many criticized Kim for tasteless cultural appropriation, including Kyoto mayor Daisaku Kadokawa who asked Kim to not trademark the name.
Originally, Kim said that she understood the concerns, but would stand by her idea. Now it looks like Kim is rethinking that.
In a few tweets, Kim said that she wouldn’t use the name. “Being an entrepreneur and my own boss has been one of the most rewarding challenges I’ve been blessed with in my life,” she wrote. “What’s made it possible for me after all of these years has been the direct line of communication with my fans and the public. I am always listening, learning and growing – I so appreciate the passion and varied perspectives that people bring to me. When I announced the name of my shapewear line, I did so with the best intentions in mind.”
“My brands and products are built with inclusivity and diversity at their core and after careful thought and consideration, I will be launching my Solutionwear brand under a new name,” she continued. “I will be in touch soon. Thank you for your understanding and support always.”
It’s nice to see Kim make the change to avoid cultural insensitivity, but a lot of damage I think has already been done. I’m not too familiar with Japanese culture but even I managed to spot the similarity, dare I say uniformity, of the name to the dress. Kimonos are pretty famous and I’m sure Kim or someone in her team were aware of that before, and still decided to keep it.