High fashion has faced multiple controversies recently.
On Sunday 17th February Riccardo Tisci debuted his first men’s autumn/winter collection for 2019 featuring a model in a brown hoodie with a noose tied lace straps. Twitter went mad.
Speculation began over whether the brand and Tisci himself was responsible for oversight or ignorance.
This has not been the tartan brand’s only controversy in the last year, with the story around the burning of £28.6 million worth of unsold and faulty stock surfacing last summer.
Isabel Tree, 20, is a fashion buyer in men’s denim, who thinks that these incidents in the runway shows could be publicity stunts. “Personally, I do think they do it on purpose because now they have got themselves back in the news and on social media and now people are discussing the show. Adding that “the average person will still buy from them”.
Proving to be true for the most part in 2018, H&M had their moment with the monkey jumper on a black child model that led to international outcry and debate, but their moment passed.
Gucci’s media storm with a blackface jumper has since been pulled from online stores. Additionally, Prada and Dolce & Gabanna have also faced controversial incidents.
There is also a debate over eco-friendly fashion, where recycling fabrics instead of burning goods could also harm the brand’s reputation, by losing the allure of their goods.
Choi Hon, a buyer admin for Fenwick, understands Burberry’s dilemma. “If I’m going to go out and get a Burberry coat I want to pay full price to get it’s full worth because there is an expectation of luxury and quality,” she explains. Adding that: “People who spend that kind of money don’t want the same item going on sale.”
However, she also believes there is a solution for luxury fashion brands to keep everyone happy that they are currently overlooking. “Having a sister-brand where goods can be made of recycled and faulty goods can serve the eco cause and keep the main brand desirable and is something Burberry as well as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and others should do too,” Choi argues.
Burberry boss Marco Gobbetti apologised for the noose incident and listed a new set of initiatives including educating employees on diversity and promising to adjust types of entrants to their scholarship programmes.
Nevertheless, expect more controversy with the summer fashion shows later this year.
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