Versace’s latest campaign, featuring Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss, is getting some major backlash. The now-controversial photos feature Hadid and Kloss as Versace-clad moms leading their families through the streets of Chicago. In the photos, shot by renowned photographer Bruce Webber, Hadid is depicted as the matriarch in a racially diverse family.
Of course, showing an interracial couple in a major fashion campaign is beyond awesome (which many have pointed out), the campaign doesn’t come without its flaws. Many have pointed out the bizarre fact that the young girl in Hadid’s photo is literally chained into her stroller—and there’s the fact that 21-year-old Hadid is playing a mother of two. Jezebel criticized the depiction in a piece written in the perspective of the young girl in the photo, asking, “Where is my real mommy? Daddy showed up with this thin white lady a few weeks ago and it doesn’t look like she’s leaving soon. She’s alright but keeps making us wear leather coats which is like—I’m a baby, can I get some more breathable fabrics up in here?”
Others found fault in using Chicago as a glamorous backdrop for the campaign when the city itself has dealt with a history of violence and brutality towards people of color.
Versace adressed the controversy surrounding the campaign in a statement released to the public.
“The campaign is made of a series of tableaux, some real-life and some fantastical. One part of the story is very glamourous, almost a fantasy, a kind of dream. The other part of the story is the same people, but in their real lives. They’re on the streets of Chicago. They’re with their friends and families. The combination perfectly illustrates the relevance and wearability of modern Versace for all parts of one’s life, from the ultra-glamourous to the everyday. The images were shot in Chicago and, in classic Weber style, womenswear and menswear are shown together. Some of the campaign photos reflect a take on the modern family, which is wonderfully Weber and very Versace. For the past few seasons, Versace have been showing collections that represent a new relevance at Versace. The collection is in touch with the way real people live in the 21st century. That’s the reason why there are these two parts, because that’s the essence of Versace. Versace makes amazing clothes for the red carpet, for parties, for a special night out. But also makes clothes for the rest of your life. And the important thing is, the clothes we make for you to wear to work, or to a luncheon, or to a meeting, are no less exciting than what we make for the red carpet. The new pictures show that. Bruce is amazing at making the ordinary feel extraordinary. That’s what Donatella and Bruce wanted to say about Versace today.”
Despite the backlash, the photos will still be published in upcoming magazines. Do you think Versace is deserving of praise, or should the label have been more mindful in making these decisions?