Riccardo Tisci presented his highly anticipated second collection for Burberry a few weeks ago at London Fashion Week and whilst the collection was widely praised, one item sent down the runway saw the brand come under fire.
One of the models in the show was sent down the runway in a hoodie with detailing that some said resembled a noose. Tisci apologised immediately for the likeness, reiterating that was not his intent, and now the brand has announced a new diversity initiative program to help avoid any future issues.
Taking to Instagram to announce the news, the brand wrote, “At Burberry, we have always sought to build a culture that is diverse, open and inclusive and one where all perspectives are valued. The distress we caused with one of our products last week has shown us that we are not where we need or want to be. We are determined to learn from this and have spoken with our employees, experts and communities we impacted, we have developed a plan to increase our consciousness and understanding of social issues and fully embrace diversity and inclusion.”
The post further outlined that the steps included holding internal training for all employees, the development of an advisory board, a more inclusive hiring process and international student programs to help nurture the next generation of talent.
See it in full below…
The news comes hot on the heels of similar announcements from Gucci and Prada after their own product recalls.
Will 2019 finally be the year fashion truly gets woke? Time will tell.
In the meantime, find out why Christian Siriano pulled two dresses from his latest collection.
