Known for its preppy patterns and beachy apparel, Lilly Pulitzer made headlines last month when its exclusive Target collection completely sold out of stores and Target’s website shut down due to the overwhelming amount of online traffic. This week, the company is back in the news, and not for good reason.
Yesterday, Twitter erupted with criticism of the popular brand after New York Magazine published an article titled “Inside Lilly Pulitzer’s Pink-and-Green Headquarters.” In the article, NY Magazine featured a slideshow of Lilly’s employees and “The Pink Palace” office, including a picture of a cubicle where one employee hung cartoons of overweight women.
Accompanying the drawings were offensive captions such as “Just another day of fat, white and hideous” and “Put it down, Carb Face.”
Followers of the brand reacted on Twitter, saying that they were “disappointed” in the company, with many accusing Lilly Pulitzer of “fat-shaming.”
Really disappointed in the staff at @LillyPulitzer #notcool http://t.co/FzLmNiGjnE pic.twitter.com/kRGfbAmt22
— Julia La Roche (@SallyPancakes) May 26, 2015
In response, Jane Schoenborn, Lilly Pulitzer’s vice president of creative communications and spokesperson, said in a statement:
“These illustrations were the work of one individual and were posted in her personal work area… While we are an employer that does encourage people to decorate their own space, we are a female-dominated company and these images do no reflect our values. We apologize for any harm this may have caused.”
The employee responsible for the drawings has yet to comment.