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Fashion’s difficult relationship with race: Gucci and Prada’s blackface faux pas just the tip of the iceberg
- A slew of recent incidents, from ad campaigns to turtlenecks, show just how tone deaf designers and other industry bigwigs can be
- Vogue got into trouble on two fronts, and Burberry sent a model down the catwalk wearing a hoodie with a ‘noose’
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Between December and February, no fewer than three high-profile brands found themselves accused of evoking blackface in their merchandise: key rings at Prada, a turtleneck at Gucci and shoes by Katy Perry Collections.
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Then came news of a “slave-themed” 50th birthday party for Vogue Brazil style director Donata Meirelles, who stepped down after photos of the event sparked outrage.
In a nation that abolished slavery only in 1888, where more than 50 per cent of the population identifies as black or mixed race, evidently Meirelles, who is white, had not considered the optics of Instagram photos of herself and other white party guests seated on an ornate cane chair flanked by black women in traditional dress.
“We have zero tolerance for racism and images evoking racism,” said Condé Nast International, Vogue Brazil’s parent company, in a statement to The Cut website.
And yet the company found itself in hot water again this month after casting American model Gigi Hadid as one of two cover stars in the inaugural issue of Vogue Hong Kong.
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