London: British luxury fashion brand Burberry has apologised for showcasing a hoodie outfit with a noose around the neck.
The outfit was showcased in Burberry’s Autumn/Winter (A/W) collection, ‘Tempest’, during the recently- concluded London Fashion Week. It was a creation of Burberry’s chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci.
On the social media, the brand was blasted for glamourising suicide. Model Liz Kennedy, who walked in the Burberry show but did not wear the outfit, also criticised the brand.
Kennedy said that she had voiced her disapproval to the outfit but was ignored by the fashion house. “Suicide is not fashion. It is not glamorous or edgy and since this show is dedicated to the youth expressing their voice, here I go… 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 wrote on her Instagram account.
Kennedy stated she was herself dealing with the loss of a family member, who committed suicide. “I had asked to speak to someone about it but the only thing I was told to do was to write a letter. I had a brief conversation with someone but all that it entailed was ‘it’s fashion’,” she added.
After the uproar, Marco Gobbetti, the chief executive of Burberry, issued a statement, and said the brand was ‘deeply sorry for the distress’.
According to ‘The Guardian’, Tisci also apologised, stating ‘while the design was inspired by a nautical theme, I realise that it was insensitive’.
“It was never my intention to upset anyone. It does not reflect my values or Burberry’s and we have removed it from the collection,” he added.
AFP
