The big-lip look puts fashion back in black books
GUCCI, the Italian fashion giant, has withdrawn a designer black polo neck from its shops and websites after people pointed out it resembled a golliwog, in the latest racism row to engulf the fash- ion industry.
The black jumper, which retailed at £690, could be pulled over the lower half of the face, leaving a person’s mouth framed with big red lips.
The Gucci jumper prompted indignation, with one woman writing on social media: “You mean to tell me no one saw the awful blackface resemblance with this shirt? This is clear-cut proof that there is a huge lack of diversity at Gucci.”
The polo neck was described as “a racist golliwog image”, with one Twitter user remarking: “Jesus Christ. Who actually thought that this would be a good idea?”
But others said people had overreacted. “The only offensive thing about this is the price. I suppose balaclavas are all racist now, too,” was one typical remark.
In a statement, Gucci said: “We deeply apologise for the offence caused by the wool balaclava jumper. We confirm that the item has been immediately removed from our online store and all physical stores.
“We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organisation and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond.”
Gucci is the third Italian fashion house to be accused of peddling racist stereotypes in the past few months.
In December, Prada was forced to withdraw a line of “Sambo-like” figurines and key rings that featured monkey-like characters with big red lips.
The company issued an apology, saying that the “resemblance of the products to blackface was by no means intentional.”
Dolce & Gabbana caused offence three years ago when it released an item of footwear that they called a “slave sandal”. Amid an outcry, the company changed the name of the shoe, calling it a “decorative flat sandal”.
And again, in November, Dolce & Gabbana had to apologise for an online campaign that featured a Chinese model struggling to eat Italian dishes such as spaghetti and pizza with chopsticks. The model laughed and giggled apologetically, in a depiction criticised as a negative and outdated stereotyping of Chinese women. The advertisement prompted fury from many Chinese and the fashion house chose to cancel a fashion show in Shanghai in the wake of the row. Chinese retailers withdrew D&G products from their shops and websites, while some celebrities publicly criticised the brand.
The row was reignited when Stefano Gabbana, co-founder of the fashion house, posted a smiling poo emoji on his private Instagram account and referred to China as “a country of s---”. The company insisted that his account had been maliciously hacked.
Last month, the model who appeared in the advertising campaign said it had almost wrecked her career.
“I feel guilty for causing the disturbance,” said Zuo Ye. “I never expected that this one time would almost ruin my model career.”
Promising that she would “grow from this experience”, she said she was
‘We are fully committed to increasing diversity and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment’
mortified to have been accused of deriding Chinese women.
It is not just Italian brands that have been accused of racism.
In 2011 John Galliano, the British designer, was sacked as creative director of Dior, the French fashion house, after hurling anti-semitic and racist insults at a couple dining in a brasserie in Paris. He later blamed his addiction to drugs and alcohol for the tirade and said he had no recollection of what he had said. The Gucci row came as several politicians in the US, including the attorney-general of Virginia, have been embroiled in “blackface” controversies after blacking up in the past as a prank or joke. Mark Herring, the state’s attorney-general, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that he wore brown makeup and a wig to look like a black rapper during a Hallowe’en party that he attended as an undergraduate in 1980.