This is an interesting discussion that I was just talking to an etsy seller who sells vintage haori about. For transparency, I am a white woman so this is my perspective as someone who is not personally affected.

To me, it's obviously appropriation when someone wears clothing from another culture with no knowledge or respect of the item, the culuture or people. Especially when considering the racism and prejudice many PoC face in America at least, it's obviously tone deaf to change an item of traditional clothing to suit our own western style, as we are taking what we please from the culture and people while either ignoring, disrespecting or fetishizing it.

But innovation and creativity can be an important part of keeping those traditional parts of your culture alive. So to me, since it's /your/ culture and I assume you have knowledge and respect for it, then it's really more like innovating and updating the style to suit the newer generation.

I have a couple questions to add to this discussion though. Since obviously there are many different countries in Asia and it's not like one big homogeneous culture, what do you think of wearing clothing inspired by or from other cultures than your own? Like say a person who is Chinese wearing yukata or haori inspired clothing? Also, do you think it is appropriation to wear vintage traditional clothing even if you understand and respect it, but it is not from your own culture? As I said before I was talking to a woman who suggested a buy a vintage haori, and I felt like it would at the least be very really cringey for me to wear as a white person, regardless of my understanding of kimono and japanese culture.