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.
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.
