Luxury goods mogul Johann Rupert's designer daughter has raised eyebrows with her trendy take on a cultural animal-hide wrist cuff. The band, known traditionally as isiphandla, is generally made from goat- or sheepskin and worn for traditional and religious ceremonies, including sangoma and coming-of-age rituals for women.It has been given a makeover by Okapi label owner Hanneli Rupert, who has used springbok hide, leather and patent gold hardware. Some bands have even been coloured pink, purple and yellow.story_article_left1The cuff sells for R3375 online and at Rupert's store, Merchants on Long, in Cape Town. It has been selling like hot cakes to internationals, while locals such as businesswoman Basetsana Kumalo have also donned it.But not everyone approves. Trend forecaster Dave Nemeth said culture drove design, but designers needed "to understand the culture and what it means to its people"."You need to have empathy ... She's taken an African heritage item and recreated it purely for monetary gain. Yes, people are doing it with shweshwe print and other items, but it's not something as strongly symbolic as the band," he said.Stylist and sangoma Honey Makwakwa said Rupert's creation was a "trend" that fitted so comfortably into the definition of cultural appropriation that it was "almost comical"."Wearing isiphandla has always been beautiful. Perhaps it should be no surprise that someone out there chose to commodify it."Ndela Nelson Ntshangase, a former Zulu lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said: "We can't stop commercialisation ... We can only educate those wearing them as fashion on what it means for our tradition."The debate over the Okapi cuff began on Twitter last month when @CurvyBelle01 saw the accessory being sold online. "Wheeeetttt! Designer sphandla? This is cultural misappropriation," she wrote.full_story_image_vleft1Rupert said it was not her intention to offend. "If anything, it's meant to pay respect," she said. "I've spoken to a lot of my Zulu friends and they've given me feedback. Often people would stop me and compliment it and ask about it."Rupert launched the bracelet at the 2014 Design Indaba, and said it paid homage to traditional designs while creating jobs. "The reception was very good. It's taken longer to pick up in South Africa, but in the US it's been selling quickly. A lot of people like to buy two of them and wear them like jewel cuffs," she said...