Kim Kardashian Issued A Statement Defending Her “Kimono” Kollection
If she had the chance, Kim Kardashian would absolutely pull a Rick James and gleefully destroy your pristine white couch by stomping on it with her shit-covered clear plastic Yeezy PVC wedge shoes and then have the audacity to send YOU an invoice for services rendered. That’s essentially what she’s decided to do to a centuries old Japanese garment. Kim’s released a statement in response to the widespread criticism she’s received over naming her new “solutionware” line of undergarments “Kimono“, and trying to trademark that shit. According to E News, Kim defended herself against accusations of cultural appropriation and outright disrespect by claiming she did it for the Kulture.
E! reports:
In her statement, she shares,”I made the decision to name my company Kimono, not to disassociate the word from its Japanese roots but as a nod to the beauty and detail that goes into a garment.”
“I understand and have deep respect for the significance of the kimono in Japanese culture,” the 38-year-old explains.
She adds, “My solutionwear brand is built with inclusivity and diversity at its core and I’m incredibly proud of what’s to come.”
See, if it wasn’t for Kim, the kids probably wouldn’t even know what a kimono was. When they go to type “Kimono” into their search engine, and if by page 3 or 4 they are still curious and want to learn more about Kim’s painstakingly handcrafted garments, they might come across a Wikipedia article about the kimono that Japanese people wore for centuries before they decided to throw in the towel and just start wearing shapewear because it was easier than trying to reason with Kim.
And look, Kim’s being super magnanimous about this whole thing. She’s not trying to stop people from calling kimonos kimonos. She’s not going to be sending cease and desist letters to the likes of renowned kimono designer Jotaro Saito. She’s willing to allow him to toil in obscurity and peace. (via New York Times)
“Filing a trademark is a source identifier that will allow me to use the word for my shapewear and intimates line but does not preclude or restrict anyone, in this instance, from making kimonos or using the word kimono in reference to the traditional garment,” Ms. Kardashian West said in the statement.
Kim Kardashian filed for a bunch of trademarks on the word "kimono" (even for actual kimono), which, if granted, would allow her to ban Japanese companies from using the word "kimono" in America. Somebody call Cool Japan ASAP. 😱😱 https://t.co/1OpWPt2lYJ pic.twitter.com/ieCzKfpeLW
— Tokyo Fashion (@TokyoFashion) June 25, 2019
So if everybody could just go ahead and let Kim continue her important work of promoting inclusivity and diversity, one painfully tight elastic waistband at a time, all while celebrating Japanese culture, that would be great. It’s not like she doesn’t know how to use chopsticks!
Pic: Wenn.com