Youth Talk

Running with the fashion theme, I cannot help but notice an increasing incidence of reports in the news of fashion companies causing controversy over releases that prove distasteful to many.

Recently responsible for some couture controversy is Gucci. The luxury brand made headlines when it was forced to take down a jumper after many pointed out that it resembled a black face. 

A black balaclava knit jumper, which was being sold as part of the Autumn / Winter 2018 season, covered the lower half of the face and featured a red cut-out around the mouth.

Gucci has now removed the jumper from sale and apologised after the brand faced a huge backlash on social media from people who said the design was ‘completely unacceptable’ and offensive.

This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened, and certain brands appear to be guilty of repeatedly being in the spotlight for fashion fiascos. What gives?

Zara is one brand I’m hinting at – from allegedly not paying workers in third-party factories and, it is claimed, plagiarising the works of an independent artist, to attempting to sell children’s shirts that looked a lot like concentration camp uniforms. This Spanish retailer appears to be notorious for its questionable sales strategies.

Also, only last year, H&M also came under fire for a certain sweater, and November saw Italian brand Dolce and Gabbana cancel a show in Shanghai, China after releasing an advertisement which many considered as derogatory with racist elements. 

One would think that such big names in the fashion industry would be more vigilant with what they put out, so why does this happen so often?

Perhaps an explanation is that  when it comes to fast fashion, clothes undergo such rapid production and sales cycles that mistakes, like the above, are easy to miss, as one expert puts it. But that’s certainly only one side of the coin. A Twitter comment cited a lack of diversity as a major reason, for if screening committees allowed for more diverse representation, such bloopers wouldn’t go unnoticed before release. 

Freedom of expression is important when it comes to creative works, and so that stretches to fashion as well, but perhaps plastering just about anything on a T-shirt, or crossing the line in a desperate effort for something cool, unique and never seen before isn’t the wisest route to take.