Luxury brands shamed, scorned
THERE’S a saying that goes: “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Which leaves one wondering if that’s the thought behind the controversial designs that high-end fashion brands have been coming up with. Gucci and Burberry as well as a shoe collection by singer Katy Perry have come under public scrutiny due to designs which allegedly evoke racist imagery.
Still fresh in our memory is a design from Burberry’s show at London Fashion Week. It showcased a hoodie sweatshirt that featured what undeniably looked like a hangman’s noose. This caused an instant social media frenzy.
Burberry promised to remove the hoodie from the collection after offering an apology.
Chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci said: “I am deeply sorry for the distress that has been caused as a result of one of the pieces in my show. I will make sure that this does not happen again.”
The brand’s chief, Marco Gobbetti said although the design had been inspired by the marine theme that ran throughout the collection, it was insensitive and they had made a mistake.
Model Liz Kennedy took to Instagram to criticise Burberry and said a brand “typically considered commercial and classy should not have overlooked such an obvious resemblance”.
Last month, Gucci was forced to remove sweaters that resembled blackface from its online and walk-in stores.
A white model was photographed wearing the black turtleneck sweater which covered most of the bottom of her face, except for an opening at the mouth. The cut out was outlined with red which gave the appearance of red lips.
Gucci apologised for the offensive garment and tweeted: “We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.”
Another brand to pull items because of designs that evoked blackface imagery was Perry’s footwear range. She had to remove two styles after being criticised for shoe designs featuring over-sized red lips, a golden triangle nose big blue eyes placed on black nappa leather.