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Observers accused Burberry of referring to racist images of lynching and being insensitive to suicide.
Another early fashion, another designer brand threatened with accusations of insensitivity.
This time, the offending mark was Burberry, a well-known company. for his distinctive control motive – at least, until he unveils one of his latest articles at London Fashion Week, Sunday: a hoodie that features, instead of the usual cords, a rope tied to a noose.
Observers quickly condemned. the sweatshirt and accused the fashion house of evoking racist images of lynching and being insensitive to suicide. Burberry later responded with an apology and said that he was removing the sweatshirt from his collection.
"How many people saw this before arriving on the podium?" asked Bernice King, director of the King Center and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. "The more general question: how can people protect their hearts and minds from the normalization and trivialization of symbols and images that historically racism, fanaticism and oppression? " 19659003] In an article posted on Instagram Sunday, model Liz Kennedy criticized Burberry and said that a brand "typically considered commercial and elegant should not have overlooked such obvious resemblance".
"Suicide is not a fad," she said. [19659003] Kennedy, who wrote that a family member committed suicide, said she felt "extremely unleashed". She tried to talk about design to someone, she said, but was told that she could write only one letter and that "it's fashionable Nobody cares about what's going on in your personal life, so keep it for yourself. " [19659003] "Well, I'm sorry, but it's a bigger problem than me," she wrote. "The problem is not that I am upset, there is here a broader view of what fashion turns a blind eye or done to advertise."
After Kennedy's message, two Burberry senior executives issued apologies and withdrew the sweatshirt. from the collection of the company. They stated that the design was designed to be "marine" or "marine".
"Although the design was inspired by the marine theme of the collection, it was insensitive and we made a mistake," said Marco Gobbetti. , CEO of Burberry. "The experience described by Ms. Kennedy does not reflect who we are and our values, we will think about it, learn from it and put in place all the necessary steps to ensure that it does not happen again."
The creator of Riccardo Tisci badured that he "would ensure that this does not happen again".
"I am deeply sorry for the disarray caused by one of the pieces of my Sunday show," Tisci said. "Although the design is inspired by a nautical theme, I realize that it was insensitive.I never intended to upset anyone." in no way reflects my values or those of Burberry and we removed it from the collection. "
At least the second time this month – as many Black History Month people point out – a brand had to apologize for products perceived as racist or insensitive. In early February, the designer Gucci pulled from his online stores and brick and mortar sweater resembling Blackface. The sweater triggered a storm of criticism and boycotts – and even a real fire, while rapper 50 Cent burned a Gucci shirt in protest.
In December, Prada apologized for a showcase of his New York boutique showcasing trinkets as The Washington Robin Givhan, fashion article critic, said "I'm sorry." be reminded of a Golliwog, a black-faced, nineteenth-century character with big round eyes and big red lips, who also looked like the main character of "Little Black Sambo," a children's book of the same era., the connotations were clearly racist. "
The list of companies insulting" religions, ethnicities and entire races is long, "writes Givhan.
His count: "Chanel scribbled a verse from the Quran through the bodice of The Dutch brand Viktor & Rolf covered the white mannequins with black paint for the body and face, creating a look that evokes a show of minstrels Even the American designer Marc Jacobs caused a sensation when he incorporated fake dreadlocks on white models in a parade in New York. "
In fact, fashion brands had to apologize so often that some commentators claim that companies could exacerbate the controversy on purpose.
"Maybe firing the black face and nodding for a while?" Said comedian Whitney Cummings on Twitter. "It's starting to look like a strange bet on who can go bust more quickly."
"At this point, they are watching us," wrote Shelby Ivey Christie, who hosts a fashion and culture podcast. [19659003] Dani Kwateng-Clark, editor-in-chief of Broadly, said that fashion houses were only asking for attention.
"There is no unfathomable way for fashion to draw on art and culture, but it completely forgets to trigger symbols," she wrote. "When will this mess come to an end?"
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