Gucci has apologized after complaints that a wool sweater with an oversized collar designed to cover the face resembled blackface makeup and said the item had been pulled from its online and physical stores. It was the latest case of a fashion house having to apologize for cultural or racial insensitivity — and further evidence that Italy in particular has a problem with racial insensitivity staining everything from fashion to soccer to politics. In a statement on Twitter on Wednesday, Gucci said it was committed to diversity and considered it a “fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected and at the forefront of every decision we make.” The turtleneck black wool balaclava sweater, which was selling for $890 on one site, covers the nose and includes a red cut-out for the mouth. It was ridiculed on social media as insensitive and racist at a time when the U.S. is grappling with cases of old photos of politicians with their faces blackened. Advertisement “Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper,” Gucci said, adding that it intended to turn the incident “into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond.” Gucci, owned by French conglomerate Kering with an Italian design team, isn’t alone. In December, Italian designer Prada said it was no longer selling a line of accessories that featured a character with brown skin and exaggerated red lips after complaints they resembled blackface. And last year, Dolce & Gabbana canceled a Shanghai runway show and apologized after promotional videos seen as racist and subsequent insulting Instagram messages stoked a furor in one of the world’s largest markets for luxury goods. The ad campaign featured a Chinese model trying to eat pizza, spaghetti and a cannoli with chopsticks. Non-Italian fashion brands have also been on the receiving end of complaints about insensitive products, behavior or ad campaigns. British designer John Galliano was removed as creative director at the French fashion house Dior in 2011 and later given a suspended sentence by a French court for having made an anti-Semitic and racist rant at a Paris bar. The designer apologized and said he had been under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs at the time. In 2014, the owner of Spanish retailer Zara recalled a children’s shirt that resembled the uniforms that Jews wore at Nazi concentration camps, with stripes and a bright yellow six-pointed star recalling the Star of David. Owner Inditex said the shirt was designed to be part of a Wild West clothing theme and the star was intended as a sheriff’s badge. And last year, Swedish retailer H&M pulled an ad featuring a black child wearing a sweatshirt with the words “Coolest monkey in the jungle.” The campaign sparked celebrity protests and in South Africa members of an opposition party stormed into some stores. The retailer apologized. Advertisement But most recently it has been Italian fashion houses that have been the target of celebrity and rank-and-file outrage — magnified by social media. Racism is particularly acute in Italy, where taunts against black players are a regular occurrence at soccer matches and the country’s first black Cabinet minister was subject to repeated insults by ordinary Italians and elected officials. Just last month, a court in Bergamo in northern Italy convicted a senator from the anti-migrant League party, Roberto Calderoli, of defamation with the aggravating element of racial hatred for having called the former minister, Cecile Kyenge, an “orangutan.”<doc-sep>Hey hi happy fashion week. We're barely a few days in and a brand has already done something messed up. Great. People are pretty angry with Gucci right now for trying to sell a balaclava-style sweater that resembles blackface. The turtleneck top features a big red cutout over the mouth, and it took approximately 0.02 seconds for Twitter to hone in on why that's messed up. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. So ya'll just going to let #Gucci act like they ain't know better? #Blackface STOP supporting brands that mock you! #BoycottGucci pic.twitter.com/TwPaAkZH6D — VENUS ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻 (@YemayaSeaStar) February 7, 2019 This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Balaclava knit top by Gucci. Happy Black History Month y’all. pic.twitter.com/HA7sz7xtOQ — Cocolo Minaj (@evilrashida) February 6, 2019 This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. So @gucci puts out a sweater that looks like blackface...... On Black History Month.... And then issues an apology because they didn't know that blackface images are racist. 🤦🏿‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/G3HjPTIuuQ — Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) February 7, 2019 Gucci saw the feedback and ultimately pulled the sweater from its site, but not before issuing an apology. "Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper. 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." The best response to that? This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. If you hire more Black people and cultivate an environment where people on all levels of the company feel comfortable to speak up incidents like this will be avoided. — Vanessa La Rue Veasley (@VanessaVeasley) February 7, 2019 Well there you have it. Alexandra Whittaker News and Pop Culture Director Alexandra Whittaker oversees all of Cosmo's news and entertainment digital coverage— follow her on Instagram here. As the lead of two teams, Alexandra manages stellar writers and editors who deliver your daily dose of celebrity, TV, movie, book, general entertainment and pop culture news. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>The wait is over, you can finally see this adorable panda cub Viral 'Charlie bit my finger' video to be taken down. Here's why (CNN) — Gucci has apologized and discontinued selling a sweater that social media users said resembles blackface because of its design. In a Twitter post Wednesday, the Italian luxury brand said it “deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper.” The top, which is no longer on the company’s website, is a black turtleneck sweater that pulls up over the bottom half of the face with a cut out and oversized red lips around the mouth. Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper. We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/P2iXL9uOhs — gucci (@gucci) February 7, 2019 “We can confirm that the item has been immediately removed from our online store and all physical stores,” Gucci said in a statement on Wednesday. “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.” The sweater had been slammed on social media, with Twitter users saying it resembled blackface and expressing emotions ranging from exasperation to outrage. “Today Gucci released their Balaclava Knit Top. Sigh. Really Gucci? Really?” Keisha Ka’oir tweeted. Today Gucci released their Balaclava Knit Top. Sigh. Really @Gucci? Really? pic.twitter.com/ETWKFhHVEB — K E I S H (@MikeishaDache) February 6, 2019 Michael Bonner tweeted his frustration at the constant depiction of racist imagery in the news recently. “One day I am going to deliver a prolific dissertation on how it feels to live in a continuous cycle of disrespect as a black man,” he said. “Gigantic brands like @gucci create offensive “fashion”, quickly apologize, and then state, ‘We did not know.” I don’t care. This is unacceptable.” One user noted that the controversy was taking place during Black History Month and expressed skepticism that it would stop people from buying the brand. This is not the first time a fashion brand has been accused of using such imagery. Last year, luxury fashion house Prada said it withdrew products after some items displayed in a Manhattan storefront were seen as depicting blackface imagery. The products, part of Prada’s Pradamalia line, were pulled after images surfaced of some merchandise depicting monkey-like figures with black faces and large red lips. The latest controversy also comes as Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is facing criticism and calls to resign because of a photograph on his page in his medical school’s yearbook showing one person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood. Northam initially apologized for the photo, saying he was in it, without specifying which person he was. He later denied he was in the yearbook photo but admitted he had once dressed in blackface during a dance contest in San Antonio. Northam met Wednesday with Southern Christian Leadership Conference President Dr. Charles Steele Jr. and Dr. Bernard LaFayette, chairman of the SCLC board, two well-known black leaders from a group once led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The meeting was an effort to better understand how he can move past the scandal that has engulfed his office, an adviser to the Democrat tells CNN.<doc-sep>Since Gucci had to remove a black turtleneck with bright red lips from its webstore after comparisons to racist blackface imagery, a number of celebrities have spoken out against the Italian luxury brand. Today, the house’s collaborator, the legendary Dapper Dan, has responded to the controversy. In an Instagram post below, the Harlem designer not only holds Gucci accountable, but states he’ll be doing so in person. ”The CEO of Gucci has agreed to come from Italy to Harlem this week to meet with me, along with members of the community and other industry leaders. There cannot be inclusivity without accountability.” Dapper Dan ends with “I will hold everyone accountable.” Stay tuned as we learn more about this impending meeting. In the meantime, check out our New York Fashion Week coverage.<doc-sep>
The Gucci sweater under fire. Photo: Screengrab from Twitter It's hard to turn around these days without knocking into another blackface controversy in fashion. This week, the offender was the world's current favorite luxury brand: Gucci. Following in the wake of Prada's "monkey keychains" that called to mind blackface imagery in December and Balmain's questionable skin-darkening makeup on the couture runway in January, Gucci came under fire on social media for selling a black sweater with red lips. The knit top featured a turtleneck that could be pulled up to the eyes like a balaclava, and included a hole for the mouth surrounded by large red lips. One commenter on Twitter posted a picture of the sweater, which retailed for $890, with a simple "Happy Black History month y'all," and the internet quickly erupted into a debate over the viral tweet. While some social media users defended Gucci and called the blackface accusations a reach, Gucci has now validated the original critique by offering an apology for the sweater and swiftly promising to stop selling it. "Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper," the brand said in a statement released on Twitter. "We can confirm that the item has been immediately removed from our online store and all physical stores." The brand went on to explain that action would be taken to prevent similar missteps in the future, saying, "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." Whether it executes its aims toward diversity perfectly or not, Gucci's proven once again, as it did with the Dapper Dan controversy in 2017, that it knows how to apologize quickly and effectively. Stay current on the latest trends, news and people shaping the fashion industry. Sign up for our daily newsletter.