Invited by Idris Elba, Sabrina Elba and Christian Louboutin to promote an operation for a good cause, Assa Traoré wears criticism from the far right as well as from the far left, who see her as a hypocrite deviating from her political struggle.
“I warmly thank you for the honor you do me by associating me with your campaign for equality and justice for all”, writes Assa Traoré on social networks in a message to British actor Idris Elba, his wife Sabrina Elba and shoemaker Christian Louboutin.
On his pair of signature red patent pumps and his black t-shirt, we can read the slogan of this capsule collection created for a good cause: “Walk a mile in my shoes” (walks a mile in my shoes), a phrase that marked Idris Elba during his visit to the memorial dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. in Los Angeles.
Indeed, this limited edition collection, composed of shoes and accessories for all, was inspired by MLK but above all, the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. It is in 2020 that the idea of a collection of which 100% of the income would be donated to associations germinates in the mind of Christian Louboutin, when he attends a live Instagram between the couple Elba and Opal Tometi, co-activist. founder of Black Lives Matter.
Together, the trio decides to highlight five charities that work internationally to improve living conditions and open up the possibilities for young underprivileged children, from the United States to Sierra Leone via the United Kingdom. United. All the income generated by this collection will therefore be donated to these charities.
A luxury reserved for an elite
When Assa Traoré uses her light to promote this charitable operation, she does so without being remunerated and with the sole objective of maximizing the sales of this collection for a good cause. Now, for Marianne, Assa Traoré deviates his political struggle by partnering with a luxury brand owned by multimillionaires who own Fiat. Same story with Current values, which title “Assa Traoré denounces social injustices … floor in Louboutin.”
The problem therefore does not seem to be this Louboutin fundraising operation but although Assa Traoré, a black woman from working-class neighborhoods, dares to wear luxury shoes. Logic, according to its detractors, would like Assa Traoré to cultivate a miserable image to illustrate his speech on police violence and the inequalities suffered by people of color in France.
When she was in government, in the midst of the 2008 crisis, Rachida Dati had also been the target of criticism pointing to her taste for high-end brands. As if it were impossible for a woman of color, having repeatedly mentioned her life journey in a poor family, to wear luxury.
“At the National Assembly, they are all in Louboutin”, explained journalist Nesrine Slaoui at the microphone of Extimite podcast by Anthony Vincent and Douce Dibondo. And the young woman to add: “It’s vulgar only on us.” As a racialized woman of North African origin, Nesrine Slaoui believes that she does not have the same rights to dress with luxury accessories yet supposed to represent the French know-how which many welcome. “We bought Louboutins for the wedding of a rebeu friend and we never wore them outside of this wedding. In conferences, if I’m the one talking about the working-class neighborhoods, it won’t work. In the evening, we go. tell me ‘Ah la beurette en Louboutin’ when it’s supposedly French chic! It’s insanely violent. “
It is disturbing that a racialized woman dares to appropriate objects reserved for a white elite. Even more when it comes to a committed woman, like Assa Traoré, who wears a fight that is not glamorous.
Dan Hastings
Every day, aufeminin’s editorial staff addresses millions of women and supports them in all stages of their lives. The aufeminin editorial staff is made up of committed editors and …