GUCCI HAS APOLOGISED for a wool jumper after complaints that it resembled blackface makeup and said the item had been pulled from its online and physical stores.
It was the latest case of an Italian fashion house having to apologise for cultural or racial insensitivity.
In a statement posted on Twitter yesterday, 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.”
It added that it was “turning this incident into a powerful learning moment” for Gucci.
The turtleneck black wool balaclava jumper 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 US is grappling with cases of old photos of politicians with their faces blackened.
In December, 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 apologised after complaints that an advertising campaign featuring a Chinese model trying to eat pizza, spaghetti and a cannoli with chopsticks was culturally insensitive.
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