Prep Your Pockets: Rihanna Reportedly Launching Luxury Fashion House With LVMH

Fashion brand Burberry has apologized after one of their designs, a hoodie featuring a noose around its neck, made its debut during London fashion week.

A statement released by the retailer revealed the item has been removed after one of the brand's own models took to Instagram to blast the fashion house for its cultural insensitivity.

"We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our A/W 2019 runway collection," Marco Gobbetti, Burberry chief executive officer, said in a statement provided to CNN. "Though the design was inspired by the marine theme that ran throughout the collection, it was insensitive and we made a mistake."

Liz Kennedy was featured in the show and alleges her qualms about the noose went ignored. Kennedy also says some members of the staff joked about it prior to the show while hanging the noose from the ceiling.

"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,' " she said.

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News of Burberry's noose-hoodie comes on the heels of Gucci's blackface controversy. The Italian luxury brand merited the ire of the Internet after their $890 balaclava turtleneck, which featured a cutout of red lips, caused many to blast the fashion house for the racist attire.

Celebrities including Spike Lee, T.I. and more vowed to boycott Gucci.

Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of luxury brands Chanel and Fendi, has died. He was 85 years old, and the news was confirmed by Chanel.

Per The New York Times, while other fashion directors chose to retire, Mr. Lagerfeld continued to work up until his death on Tuesday (Feb. 19) in Paris, designing "an average" of 14 new collections a year on his own, excluding collaborative projects.

"Mr. Lagerfeld never stopped creating," the Times writes of the tireless worker. "He was also a photographer, whose work was exhibited at the Pinacothèque de Paris; a publisher, having founded his own imprint for Steidl, Edition 7L; and the author of a popular 2002 diet book, 'The Karl Lagerfeld Diet,' about how he had lost 92 pounds."

Like many other luxury brands, Chanel and Fendi were loved by hip-hop figures such as Lil Kim, The Notorious B.I.G., Pharrell Williams, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Gucci Mane and more. The fashion houses were also mentioned in songs from artists such as "Still Dipset" by Jim Jones, "Chun-Li" by Nicki Minaj, "Chanel" by Frank Ocean, "She Bad" by Cardi B and many others.

"I was like a nerdy little black kid on a skateboard. So looking at high-end fashion was something that I really didn't understand in the very beginning," said Pharrell in 2017 of Chanel. The musician said that he was introduced to high-fashion through The Notorious B.I.G, and he was the first man to appear in a Chanel handbag campaign. Willow Smith was also named brand ambassador for Chanel in 2017.

Check out some choice Chanel and Fendi fits from hip-hop artists below. Rest in peace, Karl Lagerfeld.

Gucci's latest initiatives to eliminate their cultural ignorance were helped brought together by Dapper Dan, a decision that has left the designer at throws of critics who aren't thrilled about the Harlem legend working with the luxury brand.

On Saturday (Feb. 16) Dan, born Daniel Day, explained why he met with Gucci's President and CEO Marco Bizzarri and what it could mean for the future of young black designers.

"We have to learn to earn," he said in a statement on Instagram. "What happened to all the Black fashion brands that failed since the '80s? Was it because they didn't get Black support, or was it because they didn't know the business? Do you expect our young Black designers to spend 30+ years mastering fashion by teaching themselves as I did? How do you expect them to compete with big brands if they don't really know the business? They need jobs and internships within these big brands so that they can learn and they branch out on their own."

A post shared by Dapper Dan (@dapperdanharlem) on Feb 16, 2019 at 8:36am PST

Dan's history with Gucci has always been a complex one. Known for his custom designs for street legends like Alpo Martinez and rappers like Jay-Z, Eric B. and Rakim and Cam'ron, Dan is credited with bringing luxury to hip-hop culture. It took over two decades for Gucci and other brands to acknowledge his influence. In 2017, Dan partnered with the brand for a new menswear line and Harlem saw The Dapper Dan Atelier Studio as the first luxury house fashion store in 2018.

But it wasn't until figures like 50 Cent slammed the designer over his business ties with the brand which seemed like a victory just last year to the public. In his statement to his critics, Dan explained why the meeting was bigger than his brand and how Gucci's new initiative will benefit aspiring designers.

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"Many young people think a t-shirt design with a logo is a fashion business when in reality the business of fashion is so much broader and more complex than that," he added. "I studied my a** off to master this business. Live your dream. Don't let other people's feelings stop you. Take advantage of the chance to learn. All you haters get out the way for young people. Embrace change. For those that want to continue to hate Gucci and boycott, you are entitled to do as you please. But if anyone should be boycotted it's the brands that won't give our young people an opportunity to learn."

Gucci's four new initiatives include hiring global and regional directors for diversity and inclusion, setting up a multicultural design scholarship program, the launch of a diversity and inclusivity awareness program and launching a global exchange program.