Deja Davis
Managing Editor
The controversy over Gucci’s wool sweater that resembles blackface has made a huge uproar on social media for the past week. The $890 balaclava jumper, which is a part of the Italian brand’s Autumn Winter 2018 collection, features an abnormally long black turtle neck that covers the lower half of the face with a red mouth slit.
Blackface is a form of dark make-up that was used predominantly by non-black performers to represent an imitation of a black person. It was used in shows, movies, and other forms of entertainment to dehumanize African-Americans and exclude them from the entertainment industry.
Many social media users were offended and called the brand out for racism, as well as the celebrities who were willing to start boycotting Gucci.
Director Spike Lee expressed that he will no longer wear Gucci until the brands hire some black designers following a pair of blackface fashion fails from the major Italian fashion lines. Lee posted an Instagram photo of both brands’ logos, along with a message that read in part: “It’s Obvious To Da Peoples That They Don’t Have A Clue When It Comes To Racist, Blackface Hateful Imagery. WAKE UP.”
Rapper T.I. also expressed on social media that the “apology is not accepted” and wants to boycott instead.
“If we stop buying ANYTHING they MUST correct any and ALL of our concerns,” he continued. “That’s THE ONLY WAY we can get some RESPECT PUT ON OUR NAME!!!!”
Even rapper Soulja Boy, who loved the Gucci logo so much he tattooed it on his forehead, has announced that he is having the ink removed.
In a Twitter post, the Italian brand apologized for the chaos the sweater caused.
“Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper,” it reads. “We can confirm that the item has been immediately removed from our online store and all physical stores. We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.
“We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond.”
Also on Wednesday, rapper and producer 50-Cent uploaded a video of himself burning his Gucci logo shirt to Instagram.
The 43-year-old captioned the video, which has been viewed more than three million times: “I gotta get rid of all the Gucci I have at home. I’m not supporting that brand anymore.”
This is not the first time a fashion brand has been accused of using such imagery.
Last year, Prada withdrew items over concerns it had depicted the blackface image. The label pulled products from a line of goods called “Pradamalia” which appeared to resemble black monkeys with large red lips.
A Prada spokesperson said the items were not meant to mimic blackface caricatures and that they were removed from the designer’s collection.
In addition to Gucci being under fire at the moment, the company has also announced a major push on Feb. 15. to step up diversity hiring as part of a long-term plan to build cultural awareness at the luxury fashion company.
Gucci also stated that it will hire a global director for diversity and inclusion, a newly created role that will be based in New York, plus five new designers from around the world for its Rome office.
It also will launch some multi-cultural scholarship programs in 10 cities around the world with the goal of building a “more diverse and inclusive workplace on an ongoing basis.”
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