When it comes to Canadian fashion, arguably nothing is more quintessential than a classic Canadian blanket coat. And anything by Hudson’s Bay, with those classic green, yellow, red, and dark blue-y purple stripes.
Above in the upper left-hand corner you see a picture of a coat that is the product of the Erdem-Hudson’s Bay collaboration. Very ‘Canadian’, and especially so given that this particular company and pattern is also very evocative of small pox blankets and the colonialism in general which took place in Canada (is still taking place, really) during our nation’s early years.
I feel really uncomfortable with the ongoing promotion and selling of goods with this particular design, and I find it weird that something so visually connected to such a shameful, violent piece of Canadian history still enjoys such popularity. Then again, I’m not that surprised because white privilege and historical ignorance tend to go hand in hand… just look at all these happy white people and families smiling and sporting their Hudson’s Bay stripes.
Above: This coat (not from the Erdem collection) can be yours for $695 + tax.
I mean, yes, visually and speaking and from a purely “fashion” point of view, I love those stripes and colours: it’s bold, heritage-y, and colourful — and I love colourful clothes. The Erdem coat and the peacoat above are lovely and look like they would be nice and cozy come winter, they really do. But as this site has been exploring since December, fashion is never really just “fashion,” it is political.
Clothing means something. How and why clothing is produced, who buys it, and what it says about identity and history is important. I mean, the fact that the peacoat above is $695 and yet 50% of the First Nations children in Canada live in poverty says something about this country, our priorities, and our continuing project of colonial violence which is inextricably caught up in the wheels of capitalism.
Bottom line: I just can’t get over the legacy symbolized by those stripes, no matter how nice the coat or how famous the designer, it is almost like a coat emblazoned with hate speech to my line of thinking. Perhaps it’s just me.
This post was also published on The Closet Feminist Today.
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