Burberry has come under fire, after sending a “noose hoodie” along its Fall 2019 runway at London Fashion Week. The brand, along with its creative director Riccardo Tisci, is now apologising for the controversial piece and is removing it from the collection.
Model Liz Kennedy first called out the problematic sweatshirt on Instagram, after voicing criticism of the piece backstage at the show. “Suicide is not fashion. It is not glamorous nor edgy,” she wrote, before revealing that her concerns had been dismissed at the show.
“How could anyone overlook this and think it would be okay to do this, especially in a line dedicated to young girls and youth,” Kennedy continued on Instagram, “Let’s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either. There are hundreds of ways to tie a rope and they chose to tie it like a noose, completely ignoring the fact that it was hanging around a neck.”
“I had asked to speak to someone about it, but I was told to write a letter. I had a brief conversation with someone but the message was: “It’s fashion. Nobody cares about what’s going on in your personal life so just keep it to yourself,'” Kennedy added.
The model also claims that staff were joking about the sweatshirt in the dressing room before the show, hanging a noose from the ceiling. After the piece caused major backlash online, her remarks led to an apology from the brand’s CEO and creative director.
“We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our A/W 2019 runway collection. Though the design was inspired by the marine theme that ran throughout the collection, it was insensitive and we made a mistake.”
The moral of this story. Fashion can only exist in its own bubble up to a point. It’s good to hear that Liz Kennedy’s message eventually struck home.
