Burberry apologises for promoting a hoodie with a noose around the neck
Burberry has apologised for a hoodie with a noose around the neck at London Fashion Week after mass criticism online over the racial and mental health connotations of the item of clothing.
The fashion brand was in hot water after one of their designs, which was featured in the fashion show, looked a lot like a noose tied around someone’s neck.
The Chief creative officer for Burberry, Riccardo Tisci initially wrote an excited Instagram post featuring controversial hoodie.
The post which has since been deleted said:
The noose design didn’t go down well when it appeared on social media, and one of Burberry's own models, Liz Kennedy, led the charge in calling it out. “Suicide is not fashion,” she began in a lengthy Instagram post.
She added that she initially tried to address the issue backstage after her fitting, but was told to "write a letter" if she had concerns.
People swiftly responded to the garment with fury
Others are done with brands using shocking, often racist imagery - which many see as an intentional marketing strategy
Burberry joins a growing list of high fashion brands who have recently been forced to apologise and remove products with racist connotations. There was Gucci, who pulled a turtleneck which resembled blackface and Prada was forced to apologise following Blackface purse decorations/
In a statement to The Independent, Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti said: “We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our A/W 2019 runway collection Tempest.
“I called Ms Kennedy to apologise as soon as I became aware of this on Monday and we immediately removed the product and all images that featured it.
“It was never my intention to upset anyone,” Tisci said. “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.”
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