Gucci's creative director addressed the controversy over the brand's $890 sweater that was criticized last week for its resemblance to blackface, saying the racist imagery it evoked caused him the "greatest grief." In a letter to employees, Alessandro Michele said racism was not the intention behind the balaclava sweater — which featured a pull-up neck and bright red lips as a cutout for the mouth. "The fact that, contrarily to my intentions, that turtle-neck jumper evoked a racist imagery causes me the greatest grief," he said in the letter to Gucci's 18,000 employees, first reported by the website Women's Wear Daily. "But I am aware that sometimes, our actions can end up with causing unintentional effects. It is therefore necessary taking full accountability for these effects." Michele said the design was a tribute to Leigh Bowery, an Australian performance artist, club promoter and fashion designer known for his flamboyant makeup and costumes. An online fashion outlet showing a Gucci turtleneck black wool balaclava sweater for sale, that they recently pulled from its online and physical stores. AP "It’s important for me to let you know that the jumper actually had very specific references, completely different from what was ascribed instead," Michele said. "It was a tribute to Leigh Bowery, to his camouflage art, to his ability to challenge the bourgeois conventions and conformism, to his eccentricity as a performer, to his extraordinary vocation to masquerade meant as a hymn to freedom." NBC News reached out to Gucci for comment on the email but did not immediately hear back. Last week, the fashion house removed the sweater from its stores and website after social media users denounced it as resembling blackface. The criticism came at a time when old photos of politicians in blackface have gained national attention. The Italian luxury brand also released a statement last week that said: "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." Some celebrities who sport Gucci clothing, including Spike Lee and rapper T.I. called for a boycott of the brand. Lee was among those who responded last week to Gucci's apology by imploring it and Prada to employ more black people who would be "in the room when" design decisions are made. Prada came under fire in December for a similar episode and apologized. Gucci design collaborator Daniel "Dapper Dan" Day also condemned the label over the design. In a statement posted to his official social media accounts, Dan said the chief executive officer of Gucci agreed to come from Italy to Harlem this week to meet with him, members of the community and industry leaders. "There cannot be inclusivity without accountability," Day said. "I will hold everyone accountable." In its letter this week to employees, Gucci appears to have taken notice. "We are putting in place a series of immediate actions across the world that will increase inclusivity, diversity, participation and cultural awareness at any level and in any workplace," Michele said in his email. "We are truly committed in facing what happened as a crucial learning moment for everybody."<doc-sep>50 Cent is sending Gucci up in flames. The rap mogul has decided to burn his Gucci clothing following the blackface controversy involving the fashion brand. In an Instagram video, 50 lit his $480 Gucci T-shirt on fire. The tee started to burn before the flames eventually reached his hands. He tried to blow them out before dropping the tee into a pile of more Gucci clothes. “I gotta get rid of all the Gucci I have at home,” he wrote in the caption. “I’m not supporting their brand anymore.” He also shared plans to donate the pricey threads to the homeless. “Yeah I’m gonna pass on Gucci, I’m giving all mine to the homeless so the right demo can wear it,” said Fif. 50 is among those in the hip-hop community speaking out against the designer brand over its wool balaclava jumper, which features an oversized neck with a red cutout for the mouth. The $890 piece from Gucci’s Fall Winter 2018 runway show sparked outrage on social media for its depiction of blackface. Following the backlash, Gucci apologized for the “offense” caused by the sweater and removed the product from its website. “Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper,” the company said in a statement. “We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.” T.I. and Soulja Boy have also called for a boycott of the luxury fashion house. “Until further notice, Gucci is canceled,” said Soulja. “I’m shocked and I’m appalled. And I feel disrespected. I supported y’all brands, I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, and y’all came up with a shirt with blackface in it. Gucci is canceled.” One celebrity who isn’t bothered by the controversy is Floyd Mayweather, who scoffed at the boycott. “I’m not no follower, I do what the f*ck I wanna do,” he told TMZ while shopping at the Gucci store. In the wake of the controversy, Gucci chief executive François-Henri Pinault has pledged to increase cultural-sensitivity training for employees to ensure that products don’t offend the African-American community. “We didn’t understand the sensitivities of the African-American community, which is reflected in that mistake,” Pinault told reporters. “We can’t be content with saying we’re sorry.”<doc-sep>Just over a year ago, Swedish retailer H&M was forced to apologise after a promotional image showed a black child wearing a t-shirt with the slogan: “coolest monkey in the jungle”. At the time, this error was almost unbelievable, causing many to accuse the fashion giant of racism. In recent months, there have been several instances of fashion brands offending the black community with clothing that panders to offensive and, in my view, racist imagery. Last week, Italian fashion powerhouses Gucci stopped selling a “balaclava knit” that featured a roll neck design that was criticised for resembling blackface. Just days later, singer Katy Perry has been forced to apologise after a pair of shoes from her latest range drew similar comparisons. In the issued apology, Katy Perry and her representatives at Global Brands Group insisted that their recent collaboration was “never meant to inflict any pain”. Yet, with incidences like this happening more regularly, can we blame black people for thinking that fashion brands are simply using controversy to market their products? As a black woman who has worked in the fashion industry, I can see that the problem is deeper rooted, stretching far beyond the conversion of social media likes to sales. The fact that such designs can be authorised by so many people within an organisation is deeply concerning. In a time where comments and captions sit on conveyor belts waiting to be scrutinised on social media, how did Perry and Gucci think that this was going to go unnoticed? How is it that the directors of design, e-commerce, press and sales all managed to turn a blind eye to something so obviously offensive? The answer is equal parts simple and sad: there are just not enough people who might be offended by these products employed by these brands. Of course a blackface mule can be seen as a “nod to modern art” when you are not black. Of course it is easier to see the humour behind a Pepsi advert mimicking #BLACKLIVESMATTER rallies when you are not black. Of course you can think everyone is overreacting and “bringing race into everything” when you are not black and therefore not the target of the crassness. Blackface controversy in popular culture Show all 6 1 /6 Blackface controversy in popular culture Blackface controversy in popular culture Justin Trudeau Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau apologised after three images of him in blackface emerged, just weeks before the 2019 federal election AP Blackface controversy in popular culture Alitalia Obama Ad Italian airline Alitalia apologised after releasing a video featuring a white actor in blackface playing Barack Obama to promote their non-stop flight from Rome to Washington Blackface controversy in popular culture Katy Perry shoes The Katy Perry Collection pulled this design after it was noted that they resembled blackface. Perry said "I was saddened when it was brought to my attention that it was being compared to painful images reminiscent of blackface. Our intention was never to inflict any pain." Dillard's Blackface controversy in popular culture Prada collection In December, lawyer Chinyere Ezie spotted figurines in the Prada shop window in Soho, New York that bore a resemblance to racist depictions of black people, with dark skin and large, red lips and voiced her disgust over social media. Prada has since apologised. Chinyere Ezie / Facebook Blackface controversy in popular culture Gucci jumper This "balaclava jumper" was removed from sale after it was noted to resemble blackface. In a letter to Gucci employees, designer Alessandro Michele expressed the pain he felt that one of his creative projects was seen as “an intolerable insult”. Blackface controversy in popular culture Moncler Penguin French brand Moncler claims the golliwog-style face is really the face of collaborator Friends With You's character "Malfi the Penguin" In April 2017, Gucci released their “Soul Scene” campaign for Pre Fall 2018. The images were beautiful, capturing the essence of black seventies soul. Instagram and Twitter went wild, flooding the brand’s profile page with a plethora of appreciative emojis. I felt like I was the only one who wasn’t impressed and in hindsight, I was clearly right not to be. Most people, particularly those of black and ethnic minority backgrounds, took the campaign as a progressive win. But, to me, it all seemed too surface level, like a band aid being used to heal a deeper wound. Representation is about more than campaigns. It is about sending black models down seasonal runways when they have international buyers to impress. It is about advertising in black publications and hiring black creatives. The fact that Gucci’s 2017 shoot was inspired by Mali born photographer Malick Sidibe, but still shot by white British photographer Glen Luchford, speaks more than a thousand words, doesn't it? That’s not to say there hasn’t been progress. On one hand, we have Fenty Beauty, Virgil Abloh and Edward Enninful, smashing ceilings and breaking moulds for consumers of colour. But on the other, we still have a history of fashion that is built on tactless disregard for a demographic that presents the purchasing power of approximately $1.2 trillion. In short, if the back offices of these brands were better reflective of their clientele, I bet that these highly publicised incidences of racist iconography or slogans would decrease drastically. Digital outrage is, of course, a starting point, but more needs to be done to ensure proper cultural representation in the design process. It is representation, but more precisely participation, that will create lasting change within the fashion industry. Chimmy Lawson is a writer, blogger and author based in London.<doc-sep>50 Cent has set fire to one of his Gucci t-shirts in support of the backlash which has greeted the fashion house following the release of a jumper which was criticised for “resembling blackface”. Gucci’s black “balaclava jumper” was withdrawn from sale last week after receiving hefty criticism for its offensive design, which featured a striking red cut-out around the mouth and drew comparisons to blackface. The brand said that they would turn the incident “into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team.” The backlash against Gucci continues online, however, with 50 Cent taking to Instagram last night (February 13) to upload a video of himself burning a Gucci t-shirt. Advertisement “I gotta get rid of all the Gucci I have at home,” he wrote in the caption. “I’m not supporting their brand anymore.” The clip followed just a number of hours after he pledged in another Instagram post to give all of his Gucci clothing to the homeless “so the right demo can wear it”. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt0xEUYnH-i/ The Gucci controversy preceded another fashion-related backlash which was prompted earlier this week over a pair of shoes which were released as part of Katy Perry’s fashion collection. The design on a pair of shoes in Perry’s collection drew comparisons to blackface, prompting their removal from stores. Advertisement In other 50 Cent news, the rapper recently revealed that he’d been working on new music with Eminem and Ed Sheeran.<doc-sep>
Gucci’s creative director has broken his silence over the brand’s recent blackface scandal, saying racism was never his intention. In a letter to Gucci employees, Alessandro Michele expressed the pain he felt that one of his creative projects was seen as “an intolerable insult”. “I feel the need to write you all these few words to give a name to the pain of these days,” Michele wrote. “My own and that of the people who saw in one of my creative projects an intolerable insult.” The product in question is a black balaclava-style jumper, which costs $890 (£688) and features a pull-up neck with a cut-out at the mouth surrounded by oversized red lips. Blackface controversy in popular culture Show all 6 1 /6 Blackface controversy in popular culture Blackface controversy in popular culture Justin Trudeau Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau apologised after three images of him in blackface emerged, just weeks before the 2019 federal election AP Blackface controversy in popular culture Alitalia Obama Ad Italian airline Alitalia apologised after releasing a video featuring a white actor in blackface playing Barack Obama to promote their non-stop flight from Rome to Washington Blackface controversy in popular culture Katy Perry shoes The Katy Perry Collection pulled this design after it was noted that they resembled blackface. Perry said "I was saddened when it was brought to my attention that it was being compared to painful images reminiscent of blackface. Our intention was never to inflict any pain." Dillard's Blackface controversy in popular culture Prada collection In December, lawyer Chinyere Ezie spotted figurines in the Prada shop window in Soho, New York that bore a resemblance to racist depictions of black people, with dark skin and large, red lips and voiced her disgust over social media. Prada has since apologised. Chinyere Ezie / Facebook Blackface controversy in popular culture Gucci jumper This "balaclava jumper" was removed from sale after it was noted to resemble blackface. In a letter to Gucci employees, designer Alessandro Michele expressed the pain he felt that one of his creative projects was seen as “an intolerable insult”. Blackface controversy in popular culture Moncler Penguin French brand Moncler claims the golliwog-style face is really the face of collaborator Friends With You's character "Malfi the Penguin" The sweater caused a furore online earlier this month with many people criticising the jumper for resembling blackface. As a result, the item was swiftly removed from Gucci’s stores and website. Michele said in the company letter that he never intended to be racist and that the design was actually inspired by the late Leigh Bowery, a performance artist, club promoter and fashion designer who often used flamboyant face makeup and costumes. The designer went on to say that the controversy has caused his “the greatest grief” but that he is taking “full accountability” for the “unintentional effects”. Referencing an earlier statement issued by Gucci’s CEO, Marco Bizzarri, Michele also revealed that the brand is launching scholarship programs and internal training to “increase inclusivity, diversity, participation and cultural awareness.” “We are truly committed in facing what happened as a crucial learning moment for everybody,” he wrote. The creative director concluded his letter with an apology: “I really shelter the suffer of all I have offended. And I am heartfully sorry for this hurt. “I hope I can rely on the understanding of those who know me and can acknowledge the constant tension towards the celebration of diversity that has always shaped my work. This is the only celebration I’m willing to stand for.” While Michele’s words were appreciated by many, some people accused the brand’s announcement of scholarships and training of being too little, too late. “@gucci in 2019? Really? Ya'll just learning diversity training?” one person wrote. Another added: “Cultural sensitivity training... as if an entire cultural existence/experience can be explained and understood in a one week seminar with croissants, coffee, and smoke breaks. Hire competent black professionals.” A third person wrote: “Good night to everyone except Alessandro Michele and that whack a** apology from Gucci.” The Gucci controversy was shortly followed by similar accusations towards singer Katy Perry’s eponymous fashion line. Earlier this week, the brand was forced to remove a pair of shoes from sale amid concerns thay resembled a person wearing blackface. “I was saddened when it was brought to my attention that it was being compared to painful images reminiscent of blackface,” Perry said in a statement. “Our intention was never to inflict any pain.