From Gucci to Prada, Fashion Fails Evoke Racist Imagery
As the world
become more connected, brands must drive innovation to stand out. But what also
comes with a more global world is being culturally aware and competent.
· Recently, Italian fashion designer Gucci, released black wool
sweater with an oversized collar that pulls over the chin and nose. It includes
a slit where the mouth is, ringed with what look like giant red lips –
resemblance to blackface. African-American celebrities like Spike Lee and the
general public have begun boycotting the brand and Dapper Dan has spoken out on
social media, forcing the company to apologize publicly late Wednesday.
· The sneaker brand, Adidas
received an overwhelming amount of backlash for its Black History Month shoe
titled "Celebrating Black Culture".
· Prada
also withdrew a monkey bag charm that recalled blackface in December, saying it
"abhors racist imagery."
· And
Dolce & Gabbana cancelled its Shanghai runway show after their racist video
ad depicted an unsophisticated Chinese woman trying to eat
pizza margherita, a cannoli and spaghetti pomodoro using chopsticks.
The ads were viewed as racist, sexist, ignorant, and stereotypical. On top
of this incident, there was a screen shot of an Instagram conversation in which
Gabbana apparently called China a “country of [poop emojis]”. Top Asian celebrities backed out of campaigns, and Chinese
websites dropped their line — a warning sign from a region responsible for 30
percent of all global luxury sales.
Dolce & Gabbana video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=594Q9CJQbD4
According to Larry Chiagouris, a marketing professor at Pace University, “While the fashion world has
been at the forefront of addressing sexual norms — Gucci has been redefining
genderless dress codes under Alessandro Michele — it has lagged behind other
industries in taking on social issues such as racial tolerance, climate change
or women's empowerment.”
Cultural ignorance can no
longer be used as an excuse. Scandals like these should be a lesson for not
just for the brands involved, but also for the industry overall to do better. In the future, will brands be able strike a balance
between driving innovation without being racially insensitive?
The NYT article can be found here: https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/02/07/world/europe/ap-eu-italy-gucci-blackface.html
- Sheryl Chen
Yikes! Get it together, fashion industry!
ReplyDelete