Talking about the Next in Fashion controversy/scandal, the Netflix show was canceled 3 years after Season 1 was released in 2020. Now the show has returned for Season 2, many Reddit users have been curious to know why Alexa Chung was replaced by Gigi Hadid for the new season as well as the racism Kiki and Farai faced in Season 1.
The recent premiere of Netflix‘s second season of Next in Fashion has generated a lot of excitement among fashion enthusiasts worldwide. Tan France and Gigi Hadid host the reality show, which has everything you could want. There are numerous reasons to fall in love with this show, ranging from futuristic clothing to iconic judges. However, the competition would not be the same without its talented cast, always ready to exceed the judges’ and viewers’ expectations.
Next in Fashion was renewed for a second season on Netflix, nearly three years after it was canceled. The competition show debuted in January 2020, with English television presenter and designer Alexa Chung and Queer Eye‘s Tan France as hosts. Later, France revealed just months after the first season of Next in Fashion aired that they were not doing a second season. Fortunately for fans, it was announced in January 2022 that a second season was in the works after all.
The most recent season, which premiered on March 3, follows a group of talented young designers. They compete for a $200,000 prize and the opportunity to debut their collection with the e-commerce platform Rent the Runway. But while Next in Fashion and France have returned to television, Chung has not returned for the show’s second season.
As a result, there’s a controversy going around the viewers about why Alexa was replaced by Gigi Hadid in the latest season. Well, let’s discuss it in detail.
Previously, we touched on Usama Ishtay and Eliana Batsakis.
Next in Fashion Controversy: Everything You Need to Know About Alexa Chung’s Replacement and Kiki & Farai’s Racism Scandal!
Talking about the Next in Fashion controversy, Alexa Chung (@alexachung) has not commented publicly on her absence from Season 2 of the show. She did not technically leave the show because it was canceled and then revived. Perhaps she simply did not register for the new season. This could be due to a number of factors, including scheduling conflicts or a desire to pursue other projects. It’s also possible that the decision to hire a new host was made by the show itself.
Alexa Chung, on the other hand, announced on Instagram in July 2020 that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis. She urged her followers to raise their awareness of the disorder. Now Chung’s replacement for the new season is a 27-year-old supermodel and style icon Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid). And when it was announced that Next in Fashion would return in January 2022, Hadid’s involvement with the show sparked ongoing controversy.
Similarly, during the critique segments of its two Black contestants in Season 1, Kianga ‘KiKi’ Milele and Farai Simoyi-Agdebe, the show showed scandal and racism. In the aforementioned suit challenge, the judges chastised Kiki and Farai for their practical interpretation of a women’s power suit. Despite Kiki’s prodigious expertise in streetwear, the hosts and judges — with the exception of guest judge Kerby Jean-Raymond — heavily criticized the unfinished look of their outfit, which was an intentional design decision by Kiki. Only Kerby’s steadfast refusal to disqualify Kiki and Farai saves the duo.
For a brief moment, you hope that Next in Fashion ended the appropriation and commodification of Black culture and design by established, predominantly white, clothing labels and designers. And it does pass for the time being; Kiki and Farai were not disqualified from the round. Yet, Kiki and Farai were disqualified in the next round, which involved lingerie.
Tan France and Victoria‘s Secret model Adriana Lima‘s complaints about Kiki and Farai’s design center on an alleged lack of breast support and perky breasts. Despite the fact that Kiki and Farai’s lingerie design was centered on women’s comfort and included detailed construction of a breast support system, Kiki and Farai got disqualified. According to viewers, those who did not conform to white heteronormative beauty standards, such as Kiki and Farai, were eliminated from the competition.
Similarly, the host and guest judges’ fascination with the two East Asian contestants, Angel Chen and Minju Kim (@_minjukim_) was equally perplexing. While Tan France and Alexa Chung praised the two contestants, you have to wonder if it stemmed from a Western fetishization of East Asian culture rather than genuine admiration for Angel and Minju’s design processes. Angel and Minju were praised after France, Chung, and the guest judges comprehended their work. Their work was also recognized when they explain their design to the hosts and judges.
However, Angel and Minju were chastised when their concepts fail to encompass a Westernized concept. With such a coincidence, one can’t help but wonder about the role of East Asian fetishization in Westernized fashion. Given the problematic content that appears throughout the first season of Next in Fashion, you may need to turn off your brain to fully immerse yourself in the show.
Before leaving, find out if Nigel and Amari are dating.
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