Gucci pulls polo neck after ‘blackface’ claims
Gucci pulled a black polo neck sweater from its
shops Thursday after it sparked comparisons with racially offensive golliwog
and “blackface” imagery.
The “balaclava jumper” can be pulled up to the eyes with the mouth visible
through large red lips.
“Happy Black History Month y’all,” one African American fashionista tweeted
ironically, with others pointing out the resemblance to a golliwog.
It is the third Italian brand to be hit in recent months by race rows,
after Prada was forced to pull a line of accessories in December because of
their resemblance to blackface imagery.
Dolce & Gabbana are reeling from a boycott in China after a calamitous
advertising campaign of a Chinese woman struggling to eat spaghetti and pizza
with chopsticks that was decried as racist.
The label’s co-founder Stefano Gabbana appeared to add fuel to the fire
with a private Instagram exchange in which he used a smiling turd emoji to
describe the country and referred to “China Ignorant Dirty Smelling Mafia”.
D&G insisted his account was hacked.
The Gucci polo neck has, however, sparked far less fury online, with some
coming to the defence of its flamboyant designer Alessandro Michele, known for
his playful kitschy creations.
However, the brand was quick to pull the jumper, issuing a statement within
hours of the first posts questioning it.
“We deeply apologise for the offence caused by the wool balaclava jumper,”
it said. “We confirm that the item has been immediately removed from our
online store and all physical stores.
“We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organisation
and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team
and beyond,” the brand added. (AFP)
Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper.
We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.
Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/P2iXL9uOhs— gucci (@gucci) 7 februari 2019