Misha Collection were the centre of attention at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia, flying Bella Hadid to Sydney to headline their show. While Hadid's appearance itself was a success, the brand have been called out on social media for their choice of music.
Misha Collection chose to close out their show with Beyonce’s "Formation", an empowering celebration of black women. It was an interesting choice, considering the runway was awash with white faces.
The choice of music wasn’t appreciated by many on social media, who began to call out the brand on various Instagram accounts.
Most comments on the accounts were more along the lines of ‘OMG Bella *love heart eyes emoji*”, but the musical mis-step wasn’t missed by everyone.
While the brand had most likely chosen "Formation" for the runway-ready “I slay” and “OK ladies now let’s get in formation” portions of the song, they seem to have overlooked the message of the track. "Formation" is a celebration of Beyonce’s heritage, specifically as an African-American woman from the southern states of the US, but also a celebration of black culture in general, and a middle finger to anyone daring to speak down on it.
The video takes things a step further, as Michael Arceneaux previously wrote in this fantastic piece about Formation;
The biggest pop star of her generation opened her latest video with the drowning of a New Orleans police car. That is two-fold a critique of the treatment of black New Orleanians during Hurricane Katrina and the continued onslaught of state sanctioned violence aimed squarely at black women, men, and children.
The shot of that young black boy in a hoodie before a row of cops in SWAT gear with their hands up will stay with me forever. As will that cop car sinking into the water as Beyoncé lays on top of it. For any cop or cop supporter who finds themselves offended by that imagery, imagine what it is like to be black in this country and rightly fear that you could easily be lying in a pool of your own blood from some trigger-happy, hateful police officer protected by a system that devalues black life.
There’s no issue with anyone loving and enjoying the track, regardless of heritage, nationality or any other label. But to attach it to a commercial business, as a flock of white faces parades in high-end fashion, completely trivialises the message of "Formation."
