Spike Lee has had enough with fashion brands and politicians using blackface. The Academy Award nominee announced on Friday (Feb. 8) that he will be boycotting Gucci and Prada fashion brands until they decide to hire black designers.
“I, Spike Lee Of Sound Mind And Body Will No Longer Wear Prada Or Gucci Until They Hire Some Black Designers To Be In Da Room When It Happens,” Lee wrote in a post on Instagram. “It’s Obvious To Da Peoples That They Don’t Have A Clue When It Comes To Racist, Blackface Hateful Imagery. WAKE UP. Ya-Dig? Sho-Nuff. And Dat’s Da ‘Coonery And Buffoonery’ Truth,Ruth.”
Spike’s comments come shortly after Gucci received backlash for debuting a turtleneck that appeared to mimic blackface. The all-black shirt allowed customers to pull the elongated neck up to their face, exposing a red hole for the mouth. The brand later apologized for the misstep, stating that it considers “diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.”
Prada also landed at the center of controversy in Dec. 2018, after it attempted to sell keychains that resembled blackface imagery. The brand pulled the offensive keychain shortly after.
Check out Spike Lee’s full statement below.