Moschino sparks controversy with campaign inspired by Trump’s immigration policies
Moschino, the Italian fashion house known for its playful collections,
has chosen a rather controversial theme for its latest campaign, which
featured models Gigi Hadid and Kaia Gerber covered in blue and green body
paint. The label’s creative director, Jeremy Scott, originally captioned
the photos with the sentence “the only illegal thing about this alien is
how good she looks” — a clear reference to the immigration policies
adopted by Donald Trump’s administration in the United States. Trump often
uses the term “illegal aliens” to refer to undocumented immigrants. Many
social media users have called the phrase “insensitive and “tone deaf”,
which caused Scott to edit the caption to explain the campaign’s
intent.
ALIEN NATION ! @gigihadid STARS IN
MY NEW @moschino CAMPAIGN SHOT BY STEVEN MEISEL & STYLED BY
@carlynecerfdedudzeele HAIR & MAKE UP BY @guidopalau &
@patmcgrathreal. WHAT IS AN “ALIEN?” THE CONCEPT OF MY AD CAMPAIGN IS TO
BRING ATTENTION TO THE US ADMINISTRATION’S HARSH STANCE TOWARDS ‘ILLEGAL
ALIENS.’ I PAINTED THE MODELS IN MY SHOW AND THIS CAMPAIGN AS A WAY TO OPEN
A DISCUSSION ON WHAT EXACTLY AN ‘ALIEN’ IS – ARE THEY ORANGE BLUE
YELLOW GREEN? DOES THIS MATTER? THEY ARE OUR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, CO
WORKERS, RELATIVES AND PEOPLE WE LOVE.”I painted the models in
my show and this campaign as a way to open a discussion on what exactly an
alien is. Are they orange? Blue, yellow, green? Does this matter? They are
our friends, neighbors, workers, co-workers, relatives and people we love”,
explained the designer on Instagram. But some users were still unhappy
about the campaign. “You want to start a discussion? Stop painting the same
models blue and calling it revolutionary. Actually change the fashion game
by hiring models that need to be represented. Get out in the street and do
something worthwhile”, reads one of the comments underneath Scott’s
instagram post. Other commenters criticized Scott’s commercial use of the
issue.Image: courtesy of Moschino