The reality star and mogul has committed yet another act of cultural appropriation.

In a recent launch &ldquo;15 years in the making,&rdquo; Kim Kardashian West has finally announced her brand of shapewear, controversially titled &ldquo;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzIjXc8g9VR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">Kimono Solutionwear</a>&rdquo; Accompanied with the launch, Kardashian West has sought trademarks for &ldquo;Kimono Body,&rdquo; &ldquo;Kimono Solutionwear,&rdquo; &ldquo;Kimono World,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Kimono Intimates.&rdquo; The decision has been met with ire from Japanese and Japanese American critics and fans, who see the wordplay as yet another example of Kim&rsquo;s aptitude for <a href="https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/kim-kardashian-braids/">cultural</a> <a href="https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/news/a27683/kardashian-enterprises-cultural-appropriation/" target="_blank">appropriation</a>.&nbsp;

Although &ldquo;kimono&rdquo; in Japanese means &ldquo;something to wear,&rdquo; the phrase is most often used to refer to traditional formalwear, primarily worn by women at weddings or special occasions. This is <a href="https://densho.org/my-kimono-is-not-your-couture/" target="_blank">hardly the first time</a> the ornate Japanese dress has been co-opted by Western fashion, but the trademark move seems especially exploitative for those who don&rsquo;t want the traditional clothing associated with the brand.&nbsp;

&ldquo;As a Japanese person and a Kimono lover, I&#39;m so sad that many people think about underwear when they see the word &lsquo;Kimono,&rsquo;&rdquo; Twitter user <a href="https://twitter.com/yagami_rinn/status/1143782536679608320" target="_blank">@yagami_rinn</a> tweeted at Kardashian West. &ldquo;Kimono is really special dress for us. Please think about it once again.&rdquo;

While the name &ldquo;Kimono&rdquo; comes with its own problems, the term &ldquo;Solutionwear&rdquo; also draws into question what issues about one&rsquo;s body actually need to be solved. The term &ldquo;shapewear,&rdquo; is more neutrally descriptive, but &ldquo;Solutionwear&rdquo; has other implications.

&quot;Solutionwear&quot; suggests our female bodies are PROBLEMS needing correction,&rdquo; author and lawyer Lisa Bloom <a href="https://twitter.com/LisaBloom/status/1143723169250832384" target="_blank">tweeted</a>. &ldquo;Hell no! Also aren&#39;t there some studies about how squishing us into these confining casings causes medical problems?&rdquo;&nbsp;

In retaliation, some have suggested the brand be called &ldquo;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KimOhNo?src=hash" target="_blank">Kim Oh No!</a>&rdquo; instead.

Kardashian West unveiled the new line on social media.

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Kim Kardashian West Comes Under Fire for 'Kimono' Trademark

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