French designer Jean Touitou, also known as the founder of the brand A.P.C, is most famously known for collaborating with the infamous Kanye West in 2013. Not only does this designer use the star’s iconic style to bring in sales but his song lyrics too. Touitou labeled his newest fall and winter collection “N***** In Paris” after West’s 2011 track.
Touitou told Style.com that the collection is influenced and inspired by the Bertolucci movie The Last Tango In Paris and West’s ’11 track. He also shared that him and Kanye are friends and his collection’s title was a way of “paying homage” to his friendship with the rapper.
The controversy over the title for Touitou’s collection has caused dramatic responses and a decline in sales for the brand. This dispute brings up a very important question of our time: Why is profanity only acceptable in some areas of our culture and not others? Why can Kanye make millions off a degrading song while A.P.C loses business?
It seems as though the music industry is known for its inappropriate uses of racism, sexism, and many other “isms” of our time. On the other hand, the fashion industry is known for its maturity and poise, holding a precedent for setting examples for young fashionistas. The world of fashion is a place of free expression, not degrading labels and terms.
Bottom line? There are plenty of other song titles Touitou could have chosen in place of such a shameful one. Keep the profanity out of the fashion industry. Keep it classy!
Touitou has since issued an apology for the incident (GQ).