Another day, another example of racism in fashion.
Several top fashion houses (i.e. Gucci, Prada, Montcler) under fire for questionable fashion have issued “apologies” for their racial insensitivity.
[READ: T.I. Proposes ‘Call To Action’ Against Top Fashion Houses…]
This time, it’s Burberry.
The fashion brand debuted a hoodie during London Fashion week that featured a noose around the neck and even the model who donned it expressed concerns.
Details below…
“Suicide is not fashion,” Kennedy wrote in an Instagram post, continuing with the obvious link to lynching.
It is not glamorous nor edgy and since this show is dedicated to the youth expressing their voice, here I go. Riccardo Tisci and everyone at Burberry it is beyond me how you could let a look resembling a noose hanging from a neck out on the runway.
How could anyone overlook this and think it would be okay to do this especially in a line dedicated to young girls and youth. The impressionable youth. Not to mention the rising suicide rates world wide. Let?s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either.
There are hundreds of ways to tie a rope and they chose to tie it like a noose completely ignoring the fact that it was hanging around a neck. A massive brand like Burberry who is typically considered commercial and classy should not have overlooked such an obvious resemblance.
I am so deeply sorry for the distress that has been caused as a result of one of the pieces in my show.
While the design was inspired by a nautical theme, I realize that it was insensitive. It was never my intention to upset anyone. It does not reflect my values nor Burberry?s and we have removed it from the collection. I will make sure that this does not happen again.
Burberry also issued an apology, stating:
“We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our A/W 2019 runway collection Tempest,” said Burberrry CEO Marco Gobbetti in a statement provided to Fortune. “I called Ms. Kennedy to apologize as soon as I became aware of this on Monday and we immediately removed the product and all images that featured it. Though the design was inspired by the marine theme that ran throughout the collection, it was insensitive and we made a mistake. The experience Ms. Kennedy describes does not reflect who we are and our values. We will reflect on this, learn from it and put in place all necessary actions to ensure it does not happen again.”
Meanwhile, rapper T.I. has added Burberry to the list of high-end fashion houses to boycott.
View this post on InstagramThese aren?t coincidences. #🖕🏽Gucci #🖕🏽Prada #🖕🏽Moncler And now…. #🖕🏽BURBERRY
A post shared by TIP (@troubleman31) on