Adidas, Gucci drop products called racist

Less than a week into Black History Month, in two episodes of retail déjà vu, Adidas and Gucci have apologized and pulled products criticized as racist.

The offending Gucci item was an $890 black-knit women’s balaclava that could be pulled up over the lower half of the wearer’s face. The sweater included bright red lips ringing an opening for the mouth, a detail denounced on social media as blackface imagery.

The sweater was part of a line of balaclava-style ski masks and knits in various color combinations.

In Adidas’ case, the company included an almost entirely white pair of shoes in a line of clothing and sneakers inspired the Harlem Renaissance movement and meant to commemorate Black History Month. One Twitter user labeled it “a swing and a miss.”

Gucci released a statement on Twitter late Wednesday, saying it “deeply apologizes for the offense caused” by the balaclava’s design. The company said it had removed an image of the sweater from its e-commerce site and was withdrawing the item from all stores.

“We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make,” the company said in the statement. “We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond.”

Earlier in the day, Adidas, one of the largest sportswear companies in the world, said it would pull the shoes at issue, part of the “Ultraboost Uncaged” line, from stores. The company said in a statement that the $180 sneakers “did not reflect the spirit or philosophy of how Adidas believes we should recognize and honor Black History Month.”

The fresh accusations of racism in the fashion industry coincided with a continuing political furor in the United States over the wearing of blackface and other racist behavior by prominent Virginia politicians in their younger days.