Racism in the fashion is no big secret.
photo: WENN
Be it models, or employees, or even Kanye West, some of the biggest contributors to the multi-billion dollar fashion industry have all made claims of discrimination.
Even more ironic is Hip-Hop’s undying love for name-dropping brands that have been deemed racist, or discriminatory both at a retail and marketing level.
Maybe the elite fashion world is like the big kid’s table on Thanksgiving. A lot of people just want to be invited to sit down, but it’s not that easy.
Click below to see fashion brands accused of racism.
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Tommy Hilfiger
About 20 years ago, rumor had it that Tommy Hilfiger didn’t want Black people wearing his clothing. Weird, if you look at the all of the Black people who made his brand lots of money of the years (and the free publicity that he got from rap lyrics, and Black celebrities rocking his clothes without an endorsement deal).
In 2013 Hilfiger officially denied the story.
Louis Vuitton
A former Louis Vuitton sales associate filed a racial discrimination and harassment lawsuit last summer claiming a manager at the company made racially insensitive remarks, including calling black people “slaves” who “eat dirt off the floor.”
LV investigated the situation and fired the manager in question.
Barneys
Not long after Jay Z announced a holiday collaboration with Barneys, the high-end department store was accused of discriminating against Black customers. Hov kept the collaboration, and Barneys settled lawsuits brought on by the accusers.
Chanel
The House that Coco Chanel built, and Karl Lagerfeld currently runs, have dealt with accusations of racism. In January 2014, a Dutch designer called for Chanel to “stop the racism” in regards to controversial Native American imagery used by the clothing designer.
Donna Karan
Accusations of racial insensitivity followed Donna Karan because of a 2012 photo shoot in Haiti, after a catastrophic earthquake rocked the country. In her own defense, Karan said that the shoot was a “creative inspiration, bringing my two worlds together” and infusing “the vibrant spirit of Haiti into a sexy New York sophistication.” (Whatever the hell that means.)
Karan has founded charity benefitting Haiti since the earthquake.
Gucci
One of the world’s most successful fashion brands was the focus of racism claims involving Rihanna (but not brought on by the Bajan beauty). A former employee said in a 2011 lawsuit that Gucci subjected her to a”barrage of racist comments and jokes at her expense.” The suit, also claimed Gucci paid Rih Rih less money for a promotional add because she’s not American.
Kanye West has called Gucci racist before as well.
Adidas
Remember these things? Adidas released a line of sneakers with what looks like slave shackles connected to them. The sneaker company pulled the design after all the racism claims.
Christian Dior
Christian Dior didn’t waste kicking John Galliano to the curb after his racist meltdown almost ruined them. Galliano went on an anti-semitic rant in 2011 for which he was both fired, and prosecuted. He was later found guilty of making “public insults.”
Calvin Klein
A very strong, and very, very obvious lack of diversity got Calvin Klein named in an open letter exposing racism on the runways. Companies like Victoria Beckham, Armani, and Yves St. Laurent were named in the letter, signed by model vets Naomi Campbell and Iman.
