Burberry is addressing the controversy surrounding a design it recently debuted at London Fashion Week.
The fashion house issued an apology on Tuesday, Feb. 19 after one of its models — Liz Kennedy— spoke out against the company’s new hoodie, which features a noose-like drawstring around the neck.
Kennedy, who did not wear the design herself, took to Instagram on Monday, Feb. 18 to blast the high-end brand for supposedly glamorizing suicide and “lynching.”
The model said she voiced her concerns prior to the runway show, but was ignored and told to “write a letter” outlining her complaints.
“Suicide is not fashion. It is not glamorous nor edgy and since this show is dedicated to the youth expressing their voice, here I go,” she penned. “Riccardo Tisci and everyone at Burberry it is beyond me how you could let a look resembling a noose hanging from a neck out on the runway.”
She added: “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. ”
Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti said in a statement to the media that the design was inspired by a “marine theme,” but he apologized nonetheless.
“We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our A/W 2019 runway collection Tempest,” he said. “I called Ms. Kennedy to apologize as soon as I became aware of this on Monday and we immediately removed the product and all images that featured it. Though the design was inspired by the marine theme that ran throughout the collection, it was insensitive and we made a mistake.”
He added: “The experience Ms. Kennedy describes does not reflect who we are and our values. We will reflect on this, learn from it and put in place all necessary actions to ensure it does not happen again.”
Read More: Prada Issues Apology to Customers After Blackface Keychain Controversy
But some people weren’t impressed with Gobbetti’s apology, including rapper T.I. and director Spike Lee.
T.I. took to Instagram Tuesday to liken the controversy to other fashion mishaps, including Prada’s recent blackface scandal. “These aren’t coincidences. #Gucci #Prada #Moncler And now…. #BURBERRY,” he captioned a screenshot of a magazine article.
Lee also took to Instagram to express his frustration, writing: “WTF. Have Some Of These Fashion Brands Lost Their GODDAMN MINDS??? Did Nobody At Burberry Know What ‘LYNCHINGS’ Mean To African-Americans? To Our His/Her-Story In The United States Of America?? DAT SHIT AIN’T COOL. AIN’T HIP AND AIN’T DOPE.”
He continued: “WTF. Burberry-NOOSE Needs To Start Hiring US With The Quickness To BE IN THE ROOM. Ya-DIg? Sho-Nuff. And Dat’s Da ‘Racist’ Truth, Ruth.”
Comedian Wanda Sykes, comedian and actress Whitney Cummings, and other celebrities also spoke out against the fashion house.
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