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Burberry Apologizes After Including Noose In Runway Outfit

Burberry_Noose

(Credit: Shutterstock Santi S)

Lauryn Overhultz Columnist
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Burberry apologized after sending a model down the runway wearing a sweatshirt with a noose around the neck at London Fashion Week.

After receiving intense internet backlash, the fashion brand provided a public statement Tuesday to CNN, explaining the piece and apologizing for the insensitivity.

“We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our A/W 2019 Collection,” wrote Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti.

The item was originally criticized by one of Burberry’s own models. Liz Kennedy spoke out on Instagram after the show, condemning the actions of Burberry. She claims she brought up her concerns before the show, but was asked to write a letter if she had a problem.

View this post on Instagram

@burberry @riccardotisci17 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. 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. How could anyone overlook this and think it would be okay to do this especially in a line dedicated to young girls and youth. The impressionable youth. Not to mention the rising suicide rates world wide. 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. 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 (even though I did not wear it myself). Feeling as though I was right back where I was when I was going through an experience with suicide in my family. 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. I am ashamed to have been apart of the show. #burberry. I did not post this to disrespect the designer or the brand but to simply express an issue I feel very passionate about.

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After some of the incidents that occurred in the past month, you would think that people in the fashion industry would learn from each other. Burberry should know better, especially after the criticism Katy Perry faced for her shoes at the Grammy’s. (RELATED: Katy Perry Is ‘Saddened’ By People Comparing Her Shoes ‘To Painful Images’ Of Blackface)

 

 

Fashion brand Gucci also just spent time trying to recover from a blackface incident. Rapper T.I. took to Instagram to initiate a Gucci boycott after they debuted a jacket with a black smiley face on it.

Gucci claims they are going to fix this issue by deciding to hire more diversely. How many times does this have to happen before the fashion industry realizes something needs to be fixed?

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