Luxury fashion powerhouse Burberry is apologizing for featuring a hoodie with a noose around the neck during the Sunday show for the fashion brand’s autumn/winter 2019 collection at London Fashion Week.
“We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our A/W 2019 runway collection Tempest,” Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti said in a statement to CNN. “Though the design was inspired by the marine theme that ran throughout the collection, it was insensitive and we made a mistake.”
The knotted strings surfaced when a model hired to walk — but not wear the outfit — complained both before the show and on Instagram, saying the noose not only evoked lynchings but also suicide.
Riccardo Tisci, Burberry’s creative director, also apologized, saying, “While the design was inspired by a nautical theme, I realize that it was insensitive.”
Model Liz Kennedy took to Instagram the day of the show, posting a photo of the hoodie with a long message directed at Burberry and Tisci.
“Suicide is not fashion,” Kennedy wrote. “It is not glamorous nor edgy and since this show is dedicated to the youth expressing their voice, here I go. Riccardo Tisci and everyone at Burberry it is beyond me how you could let a look resembling a noose hanging from a neck out on the runway.”
Kennedy also added, “Let’s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either.”
Burberry’s new collection is called “Tempest,” and is Tisci’s second for the brand. The clothes feature a mix of classic, tailored ensembles and trendy street-inspired looks aimed at younger crowds.
By: Maytinee Kramer
