Image Credit: Matthew Sichkaruk
Across the US, protests have erupted in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in police custody during an attempted arrest on May 25. What began with protestors calling for police reform in Minneapolis, has ricocheted to countless other cities. The four Minneapolis police officers involved in the attempted arrest of Floyd have been arrested.
Taking notice of the protest’s persistence and increasing influence, many luxury fashion brands have issued statements denouncing racism and lending support to the Black Lives Matter movement. But something fashion enthusiasts have been quick to point out is that many of these statements of support don’t seem to align with the actions taken by the brands issuing them. Instagram account Diet Prada (1.9 million followers) has used its platform to point out many of the discrepancies between what brands are saying and what they are actually doing.
In 2018, Prada came under fire for displaying and selling products that appeared to reference blackface imagery. Faced with a complaint filed with the New York City Human Rights Commission, Prada laid out a plan with the commission to create a scholarship program for underrepresented students in fashion, have its employees complete racial equity training, and hire a diversity and inclusion officer.
Unfortunately, mishaps like the one made by Prada in 2018 are all too common and in 2019, Gucci had to pull an $890 sweater from its Fall Winter 2018 runway show, which appeared to reference blackface as well. Both companies have published statements on social media denouncing racism since the beginning of the protests. Although vague in their messaging, Gucci said that it will donate to the NAACP, Campaign Zero, and Your Rights Camp, while Prada said that it will continue to work with its Diversity and Inclusion Council to “fight for racial justice everywhere.”
Other brands that have faced criticism in recent years for being racially insensitive are COMME des GARÇONS, Dolce & Gabbana, and L’Oréal, all of which have released statements supporting the protests and calling for anti-racism. In January of this year, COMME des GARÇONS was accused of cultural appropriation after having white models walk its runway wearing lace front cornrow wigs. In 2018, private messages allegedly sent by Dolce & Gabbana founder Stefano Gabbana’s Instagram account surfaced, in which Gabbana allegedly referred to Chinese people as “ignorant dirty smelling mafia.” Dolce & Gabbana stated that the account was hacked. As for L’Oréal, after posting a statement of solidarity with the recent protests, influencer Munroe Bergdorf claimed that the brand dropped her from a 2017 campaign after she spoke out about racism and white supremacy. Since posting her story on Twitter, Munroe says that she has spoken with L’Oréal and is now looking forward “to new beginnings and a new positive relationship” with the brand.
According to a report published by the Center for Talent Innovation in December of 2019, although Black Americans make up 12% of the US population, they only account for 3.2% of senior leadership roles at large US companies. This lack of representation in higher leadership roles amongst all US companies, includes luxury designer brands and can easily contribute to the occurrence of racially insensitive decisions.
But, among the many luxury fashion brands who have issued statements of support in regard to the Black Lives Matter movement, not all have pasts scarred by racially insensitive mishaps. Instead, some actually practice what they preach.
Since its founding in 2013 by Haitian American designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, the luxury clothing brand Pyer Moss has used its platform to highlight Black culture and Black lives. On its website, it describes itself as a “mens and womenswear fashion label concerned with building a narrative that speaks about heritage and activism.” Most, if not all, of the models in Pyer Moss’s runway shows and campaigns are Black. One key aspect that has garnered a lot of attention for the brand has been its use of all Black choirs in its runway shows and campaign videos.
Similar to Pyer Moss in its outlook and messaging is the Brooklyn-based brand Telfar. Founded in 2005 by Telfar Clemens, the brand has gained popularity recently with its range of affordable designer handbags. Like Jean-Raymond, Clemens has used his runway shows to highlight the Black community and in 2019 Telfar partnered with the Black Lives Matter Global Network to create a limited-edition T-shirt that was featured on the runway.
The clothing and accessories brand Shami Oshun, is another Black-owned luxury brand that has gained popularity from its ingenuity and representation. After Kim Kardashian’s brand SKIMS faced criticism in response to its “nude” face masks that were released in mid-May, many fashion enthusiasts took the chance to highlight Shami Oshun’s “nude” masks instead. What was the difference? SKIMS masks were only made available in five different nude shades and the nude shade meant for women with darker skin tones was the color black and not nude like it claimed to be. Shami Oshun’s masks are available in nine different shades and there are four different nude shades available for women with darker skin tones.
Prabal Gurung, founder of the luxury fashion brand Prabal Gurung, recently wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post titled “It’s time for Asian Americans to shed the ‘model minority’ myth and stand for George Floyd.” In the piece, Gurung discusses his background as someone who immigrated to the US from Nepal, while also touching upon his experiences in the fashion industry and the ‘model minority’ myth.
“We can no longer afford to be comfortable, only practicing activism in spaces where we know people will agree with us. We have to be loud and get uncomfortable to truly be effective,” writes Gurung.
Aside from the brands just mentioned, the Dutch clothing brand Ganni announced that it had donated $100,000 to Black Lives Matter, the NAACP, and the ACLU and the makeup and skincare brand Glossier posted on social media of its intention to donate $500,000 to a slew of civil rights initiatives, including Black Lives Matter, The Equal Justice Initiative, and We The Protestors. As the Black Lives Matter movement becomes more widely accepted, a key challenge is ensuring that statements of support made my influential brands like Prada, Gucci, and others, are carried out even after the movement’s peak.
Images provided courtesy of: unsplash.com
