Melancholybaby
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Designer & Fashion Insiders Behavior (PLEASE READ POST #1 BEFORE POSTING)
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fashionista-ta
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^ I see Stefano has a soulmate. Here are two I really would like to cancel ...
Morgane07
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This reminds me of the backlash that a Vogue Brazil's director has just received for throwing a "colony/slavery party". This is shocking. How such an idea could've gone through her mind? I mean, how dumb can you be? It's just common sense. Same with Black face; even as a small child I knew it was wrong without anyone telling me. There are some things you just know are right or wrong instinctively.
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/vogue-brazil-director-party-scli-intl/index.html
Vogue Brazil has become the latest fashion heavyweight to be embroiled in a row over racial and cultural sensitivity after controversial photos surfaced from style director Donata Meirelles' birthday party.
Meirelles celebrated her 50th birthday with a star-studded dinner in Salvador de Bahia, northeast Brazil, where images of black women in traditional dress welcoming guests and posing next to a throne sparked an online furor.
Journalist Fabio Bernardo posted a photo of Meirelles sitting on the throne with a black woman standing either side, angering some who believe it evokes slavery.
CNN has attempted to contact Bernardo for comment.
The future of fashion: Complex, diverse, and more vocal than ever
"The photo clearly and unfortunately refers to a Brazil of autocracy and slavery, where black people were serving and white people tended to," wrote Instagram user Roberto Sakiyama.
"I don't see any praise to Afro-Brazilian culture."
Sakiyama's comment was one of many criticizing the images, and Rita Batista, a black female television presenter from Salvador de Bahia, attempted to explain the historical context that had upset many people.
Batista posted a shot from the party next to an image of two 19th-century slaves flanking their owner, with a caption explaining how in those days "the slave herself was a luxury object to be shown publicly."
The outcry over the alleged similarities with slavery prompted an apology from Meirelles, who wrote on Instagram that "it wasn't a theme party."
Meirelles, a jet setter who is married to advertising executive Nizan Guanaes and mother to influencer Helena Bordon, is known for her lavish parties attended by international designers and photographers.
The Vogue Brazil director denied using any images associated with slavery "but if it looked otherwise, I'm sorry," she said.
"Vogue Brazil apologizes profusely for what happened and hopes that the discussions generated have served as a learning opportunity," the magazine wrote in an Instagram post, before announcing the creation of a permanent forum in which activists and scholars will help define content and images against inequality.
Vogue mixed her up with a different Muslim woman. She's devastated
The fashion world is undergoing something of a reckoning when it comes to cultural insensitivity and alleged racism, and Meirelles' party is the latest controversy that the magazine group has been involved in.
In January, US Muslim journalist and activist Noor Tagouri appeared in Vogue America, but she was misidentified as Pakistani actress Noor Bukhari
"Misrepresentation and misidentification is a constant problem if you are Muslim in America," wrote Tagouri on Instagram. "And as much as I work to fight this, there are moments like this where I feel defeated."
Vogue later apologized, but the company is not the only fashion giant that has been called out for cultural insensitivity recently.
In early February, Italian luxury brand Gucci apologized and discontinued a sweater that social media users said resembles blackface because of its design.
The black turtleneck sweater pulls up over the bottom half of the face with a cut out and oversized red lips around the mouth.
In a Twitter post, the Italian luxury brand said it "deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper."
Prada pulls products after accusations of blackface imagery
And luxury fashion house Prada suffered its own controversy in December when it withdrew various products from its Pradamalia line after some items displayed in a Manhattan storefront were seen as depicting blackface imagery.
Images surfaced of some merchandise depicting monkey-like figures with black faces and large red lips, which Prada later said were "imaginary creatures not intended to have any reference to the real world and certainly not blackface."
fashionista-ta
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^ Imaginary creatures indeed 
Exactly what was influencing the boundless Prada imagination? That didn't come out of a vacuum.
All of this is so disgusting and blatant.
Exactly what was influencing the boundless Prada imagination? That didn't come out of a vacuum.All of this is so disgusting and blatant.
Benn98
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Marco Bizzarri Discusses Blackface Controversy at Parsons
The Gucci ceo was in New York Wednesday evening for the Marvin Traub Lecture.
By Kathryn Hopkins on February 14, 2019
Gucci president and chief executive officer Marco Bizzarri’s apology tour continued Wednesday night when he gave the Marvin Traub Lecture at The New School’s Parsons School of Design in New York.
What was meant to be an interview spanning his career and his tenure at Gucci became heavily dominated by talk of the fashion house’s recent faux pas — a balaclava-style sweater that critics said evoked blackface.
Even the introductory remarks by Joel Towers, executive dean of Parsons School of Design, which would usually just focus on the recipient’s merits, turned to the sweater.
“Gucci is often in the news for their extraordinary commercial success, but also for their commitments to communities around the world. They are a truly global brand, which made the blackface balaclava even more distressing,” he said.
When it came to Bizzarri, he launched into a lengthy explanation of what went wrong, telling the audience that the sweater was debuted at a February 2018 show, but “nothing happened” until it was recently linked to blackface on Twitter, which sparked the social media storm.
He admitted that when his team first told him about this, he didn’t know what they were talking about, which he puts down to ignorance on his behalf.
“We apologized because of this mistake, because of this ignorance,” adding that it was not at all intentional. “We are coming from a different culture. We are Italian. We don’t know all the cultural differences.”
In a memo earlier this week to all of Gucci’s 18,000 employees, creative director Alessandro Michele explained that the turtleneck-style top, which covers the bottom half of the face with a cutout and giant red lips around the mouth, was in fact a tribute to the late performance artist and designer Leigh Bowery.
Back at the lecture, Bizzarri went on to state that as soon as Gucci realized it had caused offense, it recalled the item because it is “not in fashion to offend people.”
He continued that the sweater goes completely against the brand’s culture and that’s “why we are suffering at Gucci….It’s not a matter of how much revenue we’re going to lose, if we’re going to lose revenue.”
For now, he believes that when something like this happens — and mistakes do happen — then education is the answer.
“Learning for me means discussing. It’s not pointing the finger and saying ‘You are wrong. I’m going to go against you.’ This is not the world I want to live in,” he continued. “This is populism. I want to talk to people who are able to teach me how to be a better person and how to improve my company. For me, that’s absolutely key and to do so we need to listen. We need to learn. We need to be exposed to different cultures.
“I thought I was very, very open. I thought I knew many, many things. I didn’t know that that created this event….In a way it’s a good way to be discussing the topic with the leaders of the community to understand how we can improve ourselves.”
He views the incident as a “wake-up call” for the company to accelerate its diversity and inclusiveness, including a full program of scholarships in major cities, such as New York, Nairobi, Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, which will facilitate an increase of different communities within the creative office. After 12 months, the recipients will be hired by Gucci.
In addition to this, it will immediately hire designers from different cultures in the design team as part of an exchange program.
“Having a full representation of different cultures in Italy is not easy. It’s not easy because we are a small country. It’s not easy to find the right people from different cultures coming into fashion in Italy, so for this reason we decided to accelerate an exchange program,” he said.
When talk moved to diversity among Gucci’s top echelon during the Q&A session with students, he responded that he didn’t know the numbers off the top of his head.
He did, though, give the reason as to why the setup wasn’t particularly diversified, which was that when he joined Gucci in 2015 he took the unusual step of keeping the same top team in place and joked that none of them had left since.
He then turned the tables, asking: “What should I do practically talking? Should I fire one of them because I want to inject diversity? Should I foster instead meetings and committees where I make sure people of different ages, different cultures are part of the discussion? To me, that’s the best way because otherwise I’m discriminating against my team.”
Like Prada and H&M, critics have blamed Gucci’s release of an insensitive product on the lack of diversity in its corporate setup.
Away from the sweater incident, Bizzarri described what it was like to take over the helms of Gucci back in January 2015 when the brand was struggling.
Just three months in, the production manager told him that he had to let 4,000 workers go, but Bizzarri instinctively knew that he had to wait for Michele’s magic to feed through. Bizzarri held strong and ended up hiring thousands of people instead of making job cuts.
He described his leadership style in those days as a dictatorship: “I decide, you follow because when you really want do a turnaround you can’t wait for consensus. It takes too long and you need to be the only one to be blamed if you fail.”
He admitted at the time he didn’t really know what the answer was and was meeting with Michele every day, fine-tuning their plans on a daily basis.
When it worked and the company was lauded for cracking the Millennial code, he laughed because he didn’t really know what a Millennial was.
WWD.com
The Gucci ceo was in New York Wednesday evening for the Marvin Traub Lecture.
By Kathryn Hopkins on February 14, 2019
Gucci president and chief executive officer Marco Bizzarri’s apology tour continued Wednesday night when he gave the Marvin Traub Lecture at The New School’s Parsons School of Design in New York.
What was meant to be an interview spanning his career and his tenure at Gucci became heavily dominated by talk of the fashion house’s recent faux pas — a balaclava-style sweater that critics said evoked blackface.
Even the introductory remarks by Joel Towers, executive dean of Parsons School of Design, which would usually just focus on the recipient’s merits, turned to the sweater.
“Gucci is often in the news for their extraordinary commercial success, but also for their commitments to communities around the world. They are a truly global brand, which made the blackface balaclava even more distressing,” he said.
When it came to Bizzarri, he launched into a lengthy explanation of what went wrong, telling the audience that the sweater was debuted at a February 2018 show, but “nothing happened” until it was recently linked to blackface on Twitter, which sparked the social media storm.
He admitted that when his team first told him about this, he didn’t know what they were talking about, which he puts down to ignorance on his behalf.
“We apologized because of this mistake, because of this ignorance,” adding that it was not at all intentional. “We are coming from a different culture. We are Italian. We don’t know all the cultural differences.”
In a memo earlier this week to all of Gucci’s 18,000 employees, creative director Alessandro Michele explained that the turtleneck-style top, which covers the bottom half of the face with a cutout and giant red lips around the mouth, was in fact a tribute to the late performance artist and designer Leigh Bowery.
Back at the lecture, Bizzarri went on to state that as soon as Gucci realized it had caused offense, it recalled the item because it is “not in fashion to offend people.”
He continued that the sweater goes completely against the brand’s culture and that’s “why we are suffering at Gucci….It’s not a matter of how much revenue we’re going to lose, if we’re going to lose revenue.”
For now, he believes that when something like this happens — and mistakes do happen — then education is the answer.
“Learning for me means discussing. It’s not pointing the finger and saying ‘You are wrong. I’m going to go against you.’ This is not the world I want to live in,” he continued. “This is populism. I want to talk to people who are able to teach me how to be a better person and how to improve my company. For me, that’s absolutely key and to do so we need to listen. We need to learn. We need to be exposed to different cultures.
“I thought I was very, very open. I thought I knew many, many things. I didn’t know that that created this event….In a way it’s a good way to be discussing the topic with the leaders of the community to understand how we can improve ourselves.”
He views the incident as a “wake-up call” for the company to accelerate its diversity and inclusiveness, including a full program of scholarships in major cities, such as New York, Nairobi, Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, which will facilitate an increase of different communities within the creative office. After 12 months, the recipients will be hired by Gucci.
In addition to this, it will immediately hire designers from different cultures in the design team as part of an exchange program.
“Having a full representation of different cultures in Italy is not easy. It’s not easy because we are a small country. It’s not easy to find the right people from different cultures coming into fashion in Italy, so for this reason we decided to accelerate an exchange program,” he said.
When talk moved to diversity among Gucci’s top echelon during the Q&A session with students, he responded that he didn’t know the numbers off the top of his head.
He did, though, give the reason as to why the setup wasn’t particularly diversified, which was that when he joined Gucci in 2015 he took the unusual step of keeping the same top team in place and joked that none of them had left since.
He then turned the tables, asking: “What should I do practically talking? Should I fire one of them because I want to inject diversity? Should I foster instead meetings and committees where I make sure people of different ages, different cultures are part of the discussion? To me, that’s the best way because otherwise I’m discriminating against my team.”
Like Prada and H&M, critics have blamed Gucci’s release of an insensitive product on the lack of diversity in its corporate setup.
Away from the sweater incident, Bizzarri described what it was like to take over the helms of Gucci back in January 2015 when the brand was struggling.
Just three months in, the production manager told him that he had to let 4,000 workers go, but Bizzarri instinctively knew that he had to wait for Michele’s magic to feed through. Bizzarri held strong and ended up hiring thousands of people instead of making job cuts.
He described his leadership style in those days as a dictatorship: “I decide, you follow because when you really want do a turnaround you can’t wait for consensus. It takes too long and you need to be the only one to be blamed if you fail.”
He admitted at the time he didn’t really know what the answer was and was meeting with Michele every day, fine-tuning their plans on a daily basis.
When it worked and the company was lauded for cracking the Millennial code, he laughed because he didn’t really know what a Millennial was.
WWD.com
Benn98
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And Prada......
Prada Taps Ava DuVernay, Theaster Gates to Lead Diversity Council
“To elevate voices of color within the company and the fashion industry at-large.”
Feb 13, 2019
By Nia Groce
Prada, along with a growing list of fashion brands including Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana, have fielded backlash this season after controversial products and images sparked racial callouts, prompting some companies to swiftly recall the items and issue short-term apologies. Still, consumers and celebrities alike have urged customers to boycott these brands altogether, while others posit the solution as the need for increased inclusivity within their offices to begin with.
Since its balaclava turtleneck fiasco last week, Gucci has responded accordingly by not only issuing three separate apologies (a general release, as well as personalized letters from CEO Marco Bizzarri and creative director Alessandro Michele) and vowing that Bizzarri would meet with brand collaborator Dapper Dan in Harlem, but also detailing plans of “building a global cultural awareness program.” Today, Prada unveiled similar plans in a press release, announcing that the Italian label has tapped Ava DuVernay and Theaster Gates to co-chair its new Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council.
As leads of “the Council,” DuVernay and Gates — an artist and activist — are expected to “advise Prada’s initiative to elevate voices of color within the company and the fashion industry at-large.” Alongside “prominent academic and cultural experts,” the duo will help steer the company in its goal of investing in diverse talent development and providing opportunities for students of color in fashion. Prada says it will work directly with universities and organizations on internships and apprenticeships that are inclusive of diverse communities, while also sponsoring scholarship and training programs in all of its global offices.
“Prada is committed to cultivating, recruiting and retaining diverse talent to contribute to all departments of the company. In addition to amplifying voices of color within the industry, we will help ensure that the fashion world is reflective of the world in which we live, and we are thrilled to be working with long-time collaborators, Ava DuVernay and Theaster Gates, on this important initiative. We look forward to working with the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council to help us grow not only as a company but also as individuals,” stated Miuccia Prada, Prada’s Chief Executive Officer and Lead Creative Director.
“My work amplifies the voices that have been absent from broad cultural conversations, and I am happy to partner with Prada to advise on processes that will make the company and industry more reflective of the world today,” said Gates. The artist, who is known for his African-American identity-focused works, also serves as the Executive Director of Chicago’s Rebuild Foundation, a cultural organization that aims to transform urban communities.
DuVernay is long known for telling the stories of people of color through her craft and has picked up several accolades throughout her career, including a Critics’ Choice award for her piercing documentary 13TH.
Prada’s Diversity and Inclusion Council will work in tandem with the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility department and will recommend “tactical and strategic approaches” within the coming months.
Hypebeast
Prada Taps Ava DuVernay, Theaster Gates to Lead Diversity Council
“To elevate voices of color within the company and the fashion industry at-large.”
Feb 13, 2019
By Nia Groce
Prada, along with a growing list of fashion brands including Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana, have fielded backlash this season after controversial products and images sparked racial callouts, prompting some companies to swiftly recall the items and issue short-term apologies. Still, consumers and celebrities alike have urged customers to boycott these brands altogether, while others posit the solution as the need for increased inclusivity within their offices to begin with.
Since its balaclava turtleneck fiasco last week, Gucci has responded accordingly by not only issuing three separate apologies (a general release, as well as personalized letters from CEO Marco Bizzarri and creative director Alessandro Michele) and vowing that Bizzarri would meet with brand collaborator Dapper Dan in Harlem, but also detailing plans of “building a global cultural awareness program.” Today, Prada unveiled similar plans in a press release, announcing that the Italian label has tapped Ava DuVernay and Theaster Gates to co-chair its new Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council.
As leads of “the Council,” DuVernay and Gates — an artist and activist — are expected to “advise Prada’s initiative to elevate voices of color within the company and the fashion industry at-large.” Alongside “prominent academic and cultural experts,” the duo will help steer the company in its goal of investing in diverse talent development and providing opportunities for students of color in fashion. Prada says it will work directly with universities and organizations on internships and apprenticeships that are inclusive of diverse communities, while also sponsoring scholarship and training programs in all of its global offices.
“Prada is committed to cultivating, recruiting and retaining diverse talent to contribute to all departments of the company. In addition to amplifying voices of color within the industry, we will help ensure that the fashion world is reflective of the world in which we live, and we are thrilled to be working with long-time collaborators, Ava DuVernay and Theaster Gates, on this important initiative. We look forward to working with the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council to help us grow not only as a company but also as individuals,” stated Miuccia Prada, Prada’s Chief Executive Officer and Lead Creative Director.
“My work amplifies the voices that have been absent from broad cultural conversations, and I am happy to partner with Prada to advise on processes that will make the company and industry more reflective of the world today,” said Gates. The artist, who is known for his African-American identity-focused works, also serves as the Executive Director of Chicago’s Rebuild Foundation, a cultural organization that aims to transform urban communities.
DuVernay is long known for telling the stories of people of color through her craft and has picked up several accolades throughout her career, including a Critics’ Choice award for her piercing documentary 13TH.
Prada’s Diversity and Inclusion Council will work in tandem with the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility department and will recommend “tactical and strategic approaches” within the coming months.
Hypebeast
JPineapple
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Vogue Brazil’s Fashion Director Resigns After Throwing Party That Evoked Slavery
A day after the party, Meirelles apologized, writing that she had never intended to offend anyone, and that the event was meant to feature traditional Bahian culture. “Even so, if I caused any different impressions, I am sorry,” she wrote.
But after a week of criticism, Meirelles announced her resignation on Wednesday. A statement from Vogue Brazil quickly followed. The magazine apologized for the incident, and added that they hoped to learn from it. “Vogue Brasil profoundly regrets what happened and hopes that the debate that has been generated serves as a learning experience,” read the statement.
Meirelles reposted the statement to her Instagram account, writing that “at age 50, the hour is action. I’ve heard a lot, I need to hear more.”
A day after the party, Meirelles apologized, writing that she had never intended to offend anyone, and that the event was meant to feature traditional Bahian culture. “Even so, if I caused any different impressions, I am sorry,” she wrote.
But after a week of criticism, Meirelles announced her resignation on Wednesday. A statement from Vogue Brazil quickly followed. The magazine apologized for the incident, and added that they hoped to learn from it. “Vogue Brasil profoundly regrets what happened and hopes that the debate that has been generated serves as a learning experience,” read the statement.
Meirelles reposted the statement to her Instagram account, writing that “at age 50, the hour is action. I’ve heard a lot, I need to hear more.”
Lola701
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The Brasilian is so upsetting!
I refuse to believe that someone who is living in Brasíl, who is aware of all the issues regarding racism, colorism and class could do a party « celebrating Bahain culture » with a predominantly white crowd and not see anything wrong about it. She is just dumb!
If she was celebrating a culture. Why wasn’t she dressed in fokloric clothes then..
This is as dumb as the now infamous « Disco Africa » party in Milan a few years ago.
I refuse to believe that someone who is living in Brasíl, who is aware of all the issues regarding racism, colorism and class could do a party « celebrating Bahain culture » with a predominantly white crowd and not see anything wrong about it. She is just dumb!
If she was celebrating a culture. Why wasn’t she dressed in fokloric clothes then..
This is as dumb as the now infamous « Disco Africa » party in Milan a few years ago.
fashionista-ta
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It's hard for me to see it as dumb ... I just find it stunning that anyone could participate in that scene, either sitting on the throne or standing next to it.
I don't know any nuances of Brazilian culture. What I heard from my mother growing up (and took with a large grain of salt) was that slaves were loved as members of the family, "like in Gone with the Wind." (A work of fiction, I'm not sure she was aware ...) Well ... while there is *some* truth to that, in some cases (and many slaves were literally members of the family
), that's far (far far) from the whole story. So I don't know if Brazil has people with the same false nostalgia?
I don't know any nuances of Brazilian culture. What I heard from my mother growing up (and took with a large grain of salt) was that slaves were loved as members of the family, "like in Gone with the Wind." (A work of fiction, I'm not sure she was aware ...) Well ... while there is *some* truth to that, in some cases (and many slaves were literally members of the family
), that's far (far far) from the whole story. So I don't know if Brazil has people with the same false nostalgia?
Benn98
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'It was insensitive': Burberry apologises for 'noose' hoodie after model complains
Liz Kennedy said the design at London Fashion Week evoked lynchings and suicide
Associated Press
Wed 20 Feb 2019 01.14 GMT
The chief executive and chief creative officer of luxury fashion brand Burberry have apologised for putting a hoodie with strings tied in the shape of a noose on its London Fashion Week runway.
The knotted strings surfaced after Sunday’s show when a model complained both before the show and on Instagram, saying the noose not only evoked lynchings but also suicide.
Marco Gobbetti, the chief executive of the FTSE company, said in a statement on Tuesday that Burberry was “deeply sorry for the distress” the top had caused and had removed it from the autumn-winter collection, along with all images featuring the look.
Riccardo Tisci, Burberry’s creative director, also apologised, saying “while the design was inspired by a nautical theme, I realize that it was insensitive”.
Liz Kennedy, a model, posted a photograph of the hoodie on Instagram with a long message directed at Burberry and Tisci.
“Suicide is not fashion,” she wrote. “It is not glamorous nor edgy and since this show is dedicated to the youth expressing their voice, here I go. 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.”
Kennedy, who was part of the Burberry show but did not model the hoodie, added: “Let’s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either.”
Her post has prompted dozens of negative social media comments directed at Burberry and Tisci.
The collection, called Tempest, is Tisci’s second for the brand. The clothes were a mix of classic, severely tailored ensembles and more trendy street-inspired looks aimed at younger consumers.
Kennedy and other critics said the company should have known better.
“A massive brand like Burberry who is typically considered commercial and classy should not have overlooked such an obvious resemblance. I left my fitting extremely triggered after seeing this look. Feeling as though I was right back where I was when I was going through an experience with suicide in my family,” Kennedy wrote on Instagram.
She said she asked to speak to somebody about it and was told 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.’”
The gaffe comes after Gucci removed a sweater from the market last week after complaints that the oversized collar designed to cover the face resembled blackface makeup. In December, Prada stopped selling baubles that also prompted complaints of racist imagery.
TheGuardian.com
Benn98
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Vogue Brazil Reveals ‘Major’ Initiative Around Diversity
The magazine's move is a familiar one after so many recent industry blunders involving accusations of the evocation of racist imagery.
By Kali Hays on February 19, 2019
Add Vogue Brazil to the list fashion entities attempting to go beyond a simple apology after being called out on social media for a racially insensitive blunder.
The magazine, part of Condé Nast International (poised to become just Condé Nast through a U.S./international combination still getting underway), found itself in some hot social media water last week after Donata Meirelles, its fashion director of seven years, posted to her personal Instagram images from her swanky birthday party. With a mini photo set featuring a wicker throne for Meirelles and guests to be photographed flanked by two black women in matching white dresses and headwraps, critics immediately pointed out some striking similarities with a 19th-century photo trend of colonizers posing with their slaves.
Meirelles resigned over the photos (despite an explanation that the women were in traditional party dresses and the chair was of religious tradition, too) and CNI issued a statement noting its “zero tolerance for racism and images evoking racism.” CNI alluded to a “working group” being set up at Vogue Brazil in an effort to avoid such issues in the future, but didn’t offer specifics.
Now, a CNI spokeswoman tells WWD that effort includes “three major initiatives” covering education of employees, recruiting and diversity efforts and ensuring diversity of content. Each initiative is said to be already underway, to an extent, but the upcoming May issue of Vogue Brazil, it’s 44th anniversary, will include a formalization of the new “editorial project” around diversity. In addition, the Vogue Carnival Ball at the end of March will include an announcement around the project. Brazil’s carnival is a major cultural event and festival held just before Lent in a country that, as of the most recent census, has a majority black population and, similar to the U.S., a long history of slavery.
As for the working group, the spokeswoman declined to release the names of any members “at this stage,” citing ongoing conversations around “roles and responsibilities.” However, the group is expected to be made up of “activists, scholars, artists and fashion professionals.”
“It is all about listening and gaining their input,” the spokeswoman added.
It also seems about time that an active push for diverse views came along. The move by Vogue Brazil comes about two years after Glamour Brazil received backlash after a group of staffers, some pulling their eyes in a slanted shape and others bowing with hands folded, posted a gif to social media to note they were taking a trip to Japan. A little less than a year ago, Vogue Italia was criticized over a cover featuring Gigi Hadid that showed her with much darker skin, prompting comparisons to blackface, which the model claimed occurred in post-shoot editing. American Vogue in September just had its first cover by a black photographer, and more recently has misidentified actors from the cast of “Crazy Rich Asians” and the Libyan-American reporter Noor Tagouri online and in print, respectively.
Fashion media is far from alone in starting to feel the heat from fans and the social media public for coming off publicly as insensitive to racial or cultural stereotypes. Last week, Marco Bizzarri, Gucci’s chief executive, embarked on something of an apology tour after a piece of knit headwear (black with a design featuring a large red mouth) was called out for evoking makeup used in 19th century minstrel shows. Similar to Vogue Brazil, the company says it is taking action to diversify and educate its employees from top to bottom. Only a couple of months ago, Prada, too, pulled a full window display in New York and a monkey accessory that were also called out for evoking racist imagery. It’s just revealed it’s own diversity “council.”
WWD.com
The magazine's move is a familiar one after so many recent industry blunders involving accusations of the evocation of racist imagery.
By Kali Hays on February 19, 2019
Add Vogue Brazil to the list fashion entities attempting to go beyond a simple apology after being called out on social media for a racially insensitive blunder.
The magazine, part of Condé Nast International (poised to become just Condé Nast through a U.S./international combination still getting underway), found itself in some hot social media water last week after Donata Meirelles, its fashion director of seven years, posted to her personal Instagram images from her swanky birthday party. With a mini photo set featuring a wicker throne for Meirelles and guests to be photographed flanked by two black women in matching white dresses and headwraps, critics immediately pointed out some striking similarities with a 19th-century photo trend of colonizers posing with their slaves.
Meirelles resigned over the photos (despite an explanation that the women were in traditional party dresses and the chair was of religious tradition, too) and CNI issued a statement noting its “zero tolerance for racism and images evoking racism.” CNI alluded to a “working group” being set up at Vogue Brazil in an effort to avoid such issues in the future, but didn’t offer specifics.
Now, a CNI spokeswoman tells WWD that effort includes “three major initiatives” covering education of employees, recruiting and diversity efforts and ensuring diversity of content. Each initiative is said to be already underway, to an extent, but the upcoming May issue of Vogue Brazil, it’s 44th anniversary, will include a formalization of the new “editorial project” around diversity. In addition, the Vogue Carnival Ball at the end of March will include an announcement around the project. Brazil’s carnival is a major cultural event and festival held just before Lent in a country that, as of the most recent census, has a majority black population and, similar to the U.S., a long history of slavery.
As for the working group, the spokeswoman declined to release the names of any members “at this stage,” citing ongoing conversations around “roles and responsibilities.” However, the group is expected to be made up of “activists, scholars, artists and fashion professionals.”
“It is all about listening and gaining their input,” the spokeswoman added.
It also seems about time that an active push for diverse views came along. The move by Vogue Brazil comes about two years after Glamour Brazil received backlash after a group of staffers, some pulling their eyes in a slanted shape and others bowing with hands folded, posted a gif to social media to note they were taking a trip to Japan. A little less than a year ago, Vogue Italia was criticized over a cover featuring Gigi Hadid that showed her with much darker skin, prompting comparisons to blackface, which the model claimed occurred in post-shoot editing. American Vogue in September just had its first cover by a black photographer, and more recently has misidentified actors from the cast of “Crazy Rich Asians” and the Libyan-American reporter Noor Tagouri online and in print, respectively.
Fashion media is far from alone in starting to feel the heat from fans and the social media public for coming off publicly as insensitive to racial or cultural stereotypes. Last week, Marco Bizzarri, Gucci’s chief executive, embarked on something of an apology tour after a piece of knit headwear (black with a design featuring a large red mouth) was called out for evoking makeup used in 19th century minstrel shows. Similar to Vogue Brazil, the company says it is taking action to diversify and educate its employees from top to bottom. Only a couple of months ago, Prada, too, pulled a full window display in New York and a monkey accessory that were also called out for evoking racist imagery. It’s just revealed it’s own diversity “council.”
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Oh but you best believe it
This is exactly what the Brazilian white upper class is, that's why I was not shocked at all when this story broke. A bunch out of touch privileged people of the worst kind.Regarding Donata Meirelles, she was a completely useless figure at Vogue anyway. She is nothing more than a socialite from a rich family, who married a string of equally rich men, and somehow found herself as the style director of Vogue based simply on her connections. She never styled a shoot, never did anything worthwhile, all she did was attend shows and throw parties. It's like if Lisa Vanderpump got Toone's job at Vogue. I guess it's a reflection of how laughably clueless Vogue Brasil is, since there are other like her also running the magazine. In conclusion, she's garbage for many different reasons, good riddance.
Oh and the "diversity initiative" and how they overral handled the situation is just the cherry on top of the turd cake. Hysterical.
Les_Sucettes
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The idiocy is out of control.
absolutely stupid people are. now they are getting over sensitive. its like you cant do anything now without being feared to have a sh*t storm on social media. but I hope that this wont make big waves as its really ridiculous.
this stupid girl, but first walking the show to get the money and than after the show ready to complain, why not refusing it before?than i would have respect for her even if its still a stupid reason. but she didnt, dumb attention greedy girl. if you really wanna care about something REAL and make a fuss do it about something serious like somalia or else,there is alot out there to care about.
TREVOFASHIONISTO
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^where do you think its acceptable to sell merchandise with a noose as the drawstring?
Lola701
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I think at this point Riccardo should focus on a bourgeois side. It’s simple, inoffensive and all.
I’m tired of all Social media outrage.
I’m maybe insensitive but come on, it’s getting out of control.
Everything can evoke something so in fact, everything is a subject of controversy. If I decide to make everything an issue of mine, I can post long text on every collection.
I’m tired of all Social media outrage.
I’m maybe insensitive but come on, it’s getting out of control.
Everything can evoke something so in fact, everything is a subject of controversy. If I decide to make everything an issue of mine, I can post long text on every collection.
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Yeah, I've been on board with the recent controversies, but this one is a bit too much. Sure the noose detail is a little provocative but to immediately connect with suicide and lynching just feels like people are reaching for something to be offended. I remember an old YSL sweater that I love that had a razor blade image. Would that be offensive today too because people use it in suicide attempts? Come on...
I think that racially insensitive imaginary like blackface is absolutely appalling and should never see the light of day, but if we start to branch out to everything that anyone might connect to something they find offensive, we would be entering crazytown. Especially when the subject is clothes, there are far more relevant real life stuff to focus on.
I think that racially insensitive imaginary like blackface is absolutely appalling and should never see the light of day, but if we start to branch out to everything that anyone might connect to something they find offensive, we would be entering crazytown. Especially when the subject is clothes, there are far more relevant real life stuff to focus on.
fashionista-ta
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I don't see the need for the noose. There are so many different nautical knots they could've used ... and it's clear there was awareness of the connotations prior to the show, but apparently there was no adult supervision ...
I would also say as far as the model, learning to use your voice in the optimal way at the optimal time is an advanced skill. I certainly didn't have it as a teenager, so it doesn't surprise me when someone else doesn't. To take away the responsibility of this huge company to put on a show without major gaffes, and put everything on the teenage model, to me is just stunning and a perfect example of all that irritates me most right now.
I would also say as far as the model, learning to use your voice in the optimal way at the optimal time is an advanced skill. I certainly didn't have it as a teenager, so it doesn't surprise me when someone else doesn't. To take away the responsibility of this huge company to put on a show without major gaffes, and put everything on the teenage model, to me is just stunning and a perfect example of all that irritates me most right now.
Benn98
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Maybe they should go after Tom & Jerry too! Not too long ago I saw a short skit where Tom tried to top Jerry with a noose.
The thing is, like Marc said, it's a bit reaching claim that noose to be associated with lynching. Anyone who had relatives who survived Nazism can claim that it unsettled them, or an Australian (considering they still carried out death by hanging in Western Australia and NSW right until 1985)
One thing I will say is that Burberry was never a brand to make waves re cultural insensitivity, regardless of how founded or unfounded the claims were. But of all that changed now that there's an Italian (surprise, surprise) in charge.
The thing is, like Marc said, it's a bit reaching claim that noose to be associated with lynching. Anyone who had relatives who survived Nazism can claim that it unsettled them, or an Australian (considering they still carried out death by hanging in Western Australia and NSW right until 1985)
One thing I will say is that Burberry was never a brand to make waves re cultural insensitivity, regardless of how founded or unfounded the claims were. But of all that changed now that there's an Italian (surprise, surprise) in charge.
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