(Louis Vuitton SS10 collection)

One of the major trends for Spring/Summer 2010 will be tribal themed. All things African and ethnic inspired was seen on the runways from Louis Vuitton to Jean Paul Gaultier and the trend is all about embracing strong prints and bold looks. Editorially it makes a great story and where i-D, Harpers Baazar have picked up on this tastefully,  controversy can lie in how its represented. Eager to reach this afrocentric ideal, D Mode magazine has taken the trend quite literally and chosen to paint Japanese models Mey Bun, Rila Fukushima and Ai-li Wang in black face.

Only last month we wrote about how French Vogue did the very same thing and it still baffles us that people would continue doing something so racially antagonistic without there being deeper underlying prejudices? The editorial itself, styled by Lauren Ossorio and photgraphed by Herring & Herring is eye-catching however would it have not been easier to find black models instead of painting japanese models? More pics after the cut

Image| Design Scene