
Gucci's blackface scandal
I ternal memo from Gucci CEO shows he's taking the blackface scandal very, very seriously
"We made a mistake. A big one."
By ALYSSA VINGAN KLEIN, Fashionista, February 2019
On Sunday, just days after Gucci issued an official apology for its sweater that resembled blackface (and simultaneously pulled it from shelves), the Italian house's preeminent creative collaborator Dapper Dan released a statement of his own. "I am a Black man before I am a brand," he wrote in a post blasted out via both Twitter and Instagram. "Another fashion house has gotten it outrageously wrong. There is no excuse nor apology that can erase this kind of insult. 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. I will hold everyone accountable."
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On Tuesday, Gucci's Creative Director Alessandro Michele followed suit, breaking his silence in a personal letter to the company, later obtained by Fashionista."The fact that, contrarily to my intentions, that turtle-neck jumper evoked a racist imagery causes me the greatest grief," Michele wrote after stating that Leigh Bowery and his camouflage art were his inspirations behind the design of the sweater. "But I am aware that sometimes our actions can end up with causing unintentional effects. It is therefore necessary taking full accountability for these effects."

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