Black History Month has already been ruined and now Burberry is adding to the nonsense.
According to CNN, after pictures surfaced of a model recently wearing a noose hoodie during London Fashion Week, the iconic brand known for its trench coats has apologized for their racist and tone deaf design.
“We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our A/W 2019 runway collection,” Marco Gobbetti, Burberry chief executive officer, said in a statement issued to CNN.
“Though the design was inspired by the marine theme that ran throughout the collection, it was insensitive and we made a mistake,” he added.
CNN reported that the design was criticized by model Liz Kennedy, who was featured in the show, but says her concerns about the noose were ignored dismissed.
Kennedy, who is white, took to Instagram to blast the designers on Sunday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt_e9OpgGG3/?utm_source=ig_embed
“Suicide is not fashion,” she wrote. “It is beyond me how you could let a look resembling a noose hanging from a neck out on the runway.”
“I had asked to speak to someone about it but the only thing I was told to do was to write a letter,” Kennedy added.
Kennedy also mentioned the “horrifying history of lynching” and how triggering this design is.
“Let’s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either. There are hundreds of ways to tie a rope and they chose to tie it like a noose completely ignoring the fact that it was hanging around a neck.”
She later revealed that the folks at Burberry made jokes about hanging a noose from the ceiling in the dressing room.
“Also to add in they briefly hung one from the ceiling (trying to figure out the knot) and were laughing about it in the dressing room. I had asked to speak to someone about it but the only thing I was told to do was to write a letter. I had a brief conversation with someone but all that it entailed was “it’s fashion. Nobody cares about what’s going on in your personal life so just keep it to yourself” well I’m sorry but this is an issue bigger than myself. The issue is not about me being upset, there is a bigger picture here of what fashion turns a blind eye to or does to gain publicity. A look so ignorantly put together and a situation so poorly handled.”
Kennedy ending her post admitting that she was “ashamed” to have taken part in the show.
“I am ashamed to have been apart of the show. I did not post this to disrespect the designer or the brand but to simply express an issue I feel very passionate about,” she concluded.
As we know, this apology comes after Gucci apologized for their blackface turtleneck sweater and Katy Perry for her blackface shoes. Listen, I don’t know if these folks are just trolling Black folks or not, but this is getting way out of hand, tiring and down-right racist.
Here’s what Black Twitter had to say about this serious fashion faux-pas.
