Just this past London Fashion Week 2019, Burberry had a huge mishap on the runway. They sent down a model wearing a sweatshirt with the string tied into a noose. Model Liz Kennedy called out the British fashion label stating that “suicide is not fashion.” Although Burberry apologized for the incident, this isn’t the first time the fashion label has caused an uproar. Before Burberry completely rebranded themselves in August of 2018, the fashion powerhouse was caught burning over $38 million dollars worth of their inventory that they couldn’t sell. Burberry isn’t the only label caught destroying inventory either; brands such as Louis Vuitton and Nike have been said to destroy handbags and clothing in order to prevent slashing prices and getting rid of the luxury aspect of the brand.
Most recently, Gucci also had a mishap with their February 2019 release of the Balaclava Knit Sweater. The sweater was a simple black turtle neck, however, the neck of the sweater extended over the face and very closely resembled blackface, which was popular in the 19th century when white actors painted their faces black to resemble African culture. People were furious, stating that Gucci was ignorant to not see the issue in the first place. In 2017, H&M was caught having racist advertising by putting an African American child in a ‘Coolest Monkey In The Jungle’ sweatshirt. In the past, apes and gorillas were used as derogatory terms and racist remarks against African Americans. Before Dolce & Gabbana’s first show in Shanghai, China, during 2018, they released an insensitive commercial mocking the use of chopsticks and Chinese Culture.
Although both Burberry and Gucci have apologized for their actions, both luxury and fast fashion brands need to start being conscious of how their impacts reflect the environment as well as culture. It’s the 21st century and it’s about time fashion reflects the time period.