Kendall Jenner accused of ‘cultural appropriation’ after launching her own tequila brand

Reality TV star Kendall Jenner has faced allegations of cultural appropriation after she announced that she would be releasing her own brand of tequila.

The drink originates from Mexico and is closely associated with the town of the same name in western Jalisco.

In an Instagram post about the brand, named 818, Jenner wrote: “For almost four years I’ve been on a journey to create the best tasting tequila. After dozens of blind taste tests, trips to our distillery, entering into world tasting competitions anonymously and winning, 3.5 years later I think we’ve done it!

“This is all we’ve been drinking for the last year and I can’t wait for everyone else to get their hands on this to enjoy it as much as we do.”

However, others aren’t so excited, with one Twitter user saying something about the announcement “rubs me the wrong way”.

“Like the idea of white celebrities taking from local Mexican artisans and profiting off our traditions and agricultural business, yet only visit Cabos and Puerto Vallarta for vacation spots.

“And not to mention profit off the brown hands that actually plant, grow, harvest, ferment and distil the agava plants in Jalisco,” she said.

Some agreed with the post, highlighting its cultural significance and the workers involved in the product:

However, others mentioned that actors George Clooney and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson have also made their own brands of the drink, and that Jenner was creating jobs by starting up the new business:

No official launch date for 818 has been announced by Jenner, with the influencer only confirming that the drink would be “coming soon”.