"Homeless Chic:" The Cultural Contradictions of Representations of the Homeless and of Homelessness

Abstract

The contradictory term “homeless chic” was initially employed in the spring of 2000, when designer John Galliano introduced his “boho-meets-hobo chic” spring-summer haute couture collection for the House of Dior in Paris. Dior models wore newspapers, straightjackets, tin cups, and whiskey bottles. The denigration of homelessness implied by these images caused quite a stir, especially from homeless advocates. By placing abject images of extreme poverty within the context of the privileged world of couture, Galliano‟s “art” essentially reinforced an already present separation between rich and poor, othering “them” and comically rendering those experiencing homelessness as almost sub-human and limited in a fixed identity. Although he revealed his source of inspiration to be les clochards (homeless people) he passed during his daily runs, and maintained that his intentions were to “expose the pure decadence of the couture by „turning it inside out,‟” his designs shocked the public. 1 Met with much negativity from critics who claimed how preposterous it was for him to be exploiting the misfortunes of others in an effort of aesthetics, Galliano publicly apologized, quietly retreated, and has since worked to repair the damage done to his reputation by rebounding with many admired collections since. 2