Ooh... faux pas! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most significant controversies that have shaken the fashion industry over the years.
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00:00Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most significant controversies
00:09that have shaken the fashion industry over the years.
00:12And said things like, if you just had confidence you'd go really far. The entire experience
00:17was terrifying and humiliating.
00:20Number 10, Balenciaga's controversial ad campaigns.
00:25The fact that Balenciaga is trying to shift blame over to its production house and the
00:30said designer is going to be a hard sell.
00:33In November 2022, Balenciaga launched two ad campaigns that stirred a huge controversy
00:39and led to a PR disaster for the luxury fashion brand.
00:43The first featured children holding teddy bear handbags, accessorized with leather straps,
00:48chains and fishnet tops. This imagery sparked immediate criticism for seemingly associating
00:53children with bondage paraphernalia.
00:56It is the exploitation of children and anyone who buys from Balenciaga is agreeing with
01:03that.
01:04Shortly after, a second ad surfaced, featuring documents from a Supreme Court case concerning
01:09inappropriate material involving youth.
01:12This campaign also included a book by an artist named Miquel Bormans, known for his controversial
01:18paintings depicting children in often graphic scenarios.
01:22In response to the backlash, Balenciaga issued multiple public apologies and initially sued
01:27the production company behind the second campaign, although the lawsuit was later dropped.
01:32Is it possible that they had no approval rights? I would have to say, after working in Hollywood,
01:38it's an emphatic no.
01:39Number 9, Dolce & Gabbana oppose same-sex adoption.
01:43The Medico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the renowned fashion designers behind Italian
01:48brand Dolce & Gabbana, found themselves at the center of a controversy back in 2015.
01:53Despite both being gay and a former couple themselves, the pair stated in an interview
01:58with Italian magazine Panorama that they opposed adoption by same-sex couples.
02:02They also condemned in vitro fertilization and surrogacy, describing children born via
02:07IVF as synthetic.
02:09It's unbelievable and ignorant. I would say the word ignorant.
02:15Their remarks sparked widespread criticism from the LGBTQIA plus community, particularly
02:21from singer Elton John, who called for a boycott of the brand.
02:24Many others criticized the duo for perpetuating outdated stereotypes and discrimination against
02:29same-sex families.
02:31The designers later clarified that while they respected other people's choices, they simply
02:35held a different opinion.
02:37But Dolce, who has said the more controversial comments even back in 2006, said he'd love
02:41to have children, but because he's gay, he's not allowed to do so.
02:45So their views have been on the record for at least a decade, but it's thanks to social
02:49media that they are spreading now worldwide.
02:51Number 8.
02:52Vans Removes Protest Sneakers
02:54Frankie and I were just kind of talking about the cool way to get Vans involved with his
02:58art students, and the idea of painting shoes kind of came about.
03:05Every year, Vans hosts the Custom Culture Competition, inviting participants to submit
03:10custom designs for a chance to win $25,000 and see their sneakers produced.
03:15In 2019, one design featured a red bauhinia, the flower of Hong Kong's flag, alongside
03:21protesters wearing gas masks, goggles, and hard hats.
03:24The design was a nod to the 2014 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
03:29However, as this entry rose to the top of the online poll determining the winner, Vans
03:34suddenly removed it from consideration.
03:36This move triggered outrage from social media users and led to calls for a boycott of the
03:41brand.
03:42The skateboarding company later defended its decision, stating that it had never taken
03:46a political position.
03:47Being with Sean and kind of stirring this up a couple of years ago, I didn't really
03:52have any idea of what it could be.
03:55Number 7.
03:56Marc Jacobs' Bribery Scandal
03:58For years, during New York Fashion Week, designer Marc Jacobs held his shows at the highly sought-after
04:0469th Regiment Armory, located at 26th and Lexington Avenue.
04:10The armory runs from Lexington Avenue to Park Avenue, so it's a full city block.
04:14And I felt if the girls walked in from the Lexington Avenue entrance all the way through
04:18to Park Avenue, that's, it's a full, it's a real long walk.
04:24Jacobs' ability to consistently secure the venue puzzled many, until the truth emerged
04:28in 2008.
04:30It was revealed that the designer's company, Marc Jacobs International, had been bribing
04:35the building's superintendent, James Jackson.
04:38Between 2000 and 2007, the company paid Jackson $35,000 in cash and goods in exchange for
04:45preferential treatment.
04:46You know, I am aware, I mean, there are things that, that permeate that bubble.
04:52I do know a little bit about what's going on in the world.
04:55Jackson, who also extorted payments from other clients, eventually pleaded guilty
05:00to grand larceny and bribery.
05:02Although he was not criminally indicted, Jacobs paid a $1 million settlement to the state
05:08for his role in the scandal.
05:10But ultimately, I'm a person, and I think what I fear most is shame, is feeling shame.
05:16Number six, B-Stroy's anti-gun violence controversy.
05:20Let me ask you this.
05:21Do you remember your worst outfit?
05:22Yeah.
05:23Let me ask you this in two parts.
05:24I can tell you one.
05:26Some topics are just too sensitive to be made into fashion statements.
05:29New York-based brand B-Stroy learned that the hard way in 2019 after they sent models
05:35down the runway wearing sweatshirts with names like Columbine, Sandy Hook, and Stoneman Douglas.
05:41If those names ring a bell, that's because they were the sites of some of the deadliest
05:44school shootings in the US.
05:47Even worse, the sweatshirts were intentionally distressed to look like they were ridden with
05:51bullet holes.
05:52Needless to say, this was deemed highly insensitive, particularly by the victims' families and
05:58survivors of these tragic events.
06:00One family from Sandy Hook said, you'll never know what our family went through.
06:03Our pain is not to be used for your fashion.
06:05So I get the message.
06:06Well, I don't even get the message that they're trying to do.
06:09B-Stroy's founders, Brick Owens and Dieter Grams, were criticized over the designs, but
06:14defended the work as mere social commentary.
06:17It's not fashionable.
06:18It doesn't send any message.
06:19They said they're trying to bring attention to the shootings.
06:22There has to be another way to do that.
06:235.
06:24John Galliano's Anti-Semitic Revelations
06:27We, um, we stopped carrying Galliano after he, you know, came out in support of the Holocaust.
06:33I mean, I don't agree with him, but that's no reason to condemn him for life.
06:36If only the Germans had had the same attitude.
06:38In 2011, famed fashion designer John Galliano, known for his work at Givenchy and Dior, faced
06:44severe backlash after a disturbing video of him surfaced.
06:48The video captured Galliano making a series of deeply troubling, anti-Semitic statements
06:53towards a group of Jewish women outside a bar in Paris.
06:57This revelation shocked the fashion world, leading to his swift dismissal from his position
07:02as creative director at Dior, a role that he had held for 14 years.
07:06John Galliano claims that he lost control due to drink and drugs and has apologized
07:12unreservedly for his actions, but the British designer has already been sacked by the fashion
07:18Not only was Galliano condemned by the industry figures and the public alike, he was also
07:23charged to court, as the expression of anti-Semitic ideas is illegal in France.
07:29Galliano was subsequently convicted and handed a suspended fine of 6,000 euros.
07:34He wasn't sent to jail, but his career and reputation are in ruins.
07:39A clear message to the people of France that anti-Semitic behavior won't be tolerated.
07:444.
07:45Gucci's Blackface Scandal
07:46In February 2019, Gucci launched a line of turtleneck sweaters that reached up to the
08:00mouth and featured a cutout with oversized red lips.
08:03Shortly after the product appeared on the company's website, many people noticed it
08:07bore a striking resemblance to blackface.
08:10As a result, Gucci was slammed on social media, with many criticizing the design as racially
08:15sensitive, especially given its release during Black History Month.
08:30Gucci quickly removed the product from its website, and Alessandro Michele, who was the
08:34label's creative director at the time, issued a public apology.
08:38Following the scandal, the fashion house implemented a diversity and inclusion strategy and appointed
08:43René Tirado as the global head of that initiative.
08:553.
08:56Burberry's Controversial Noose Hoodies
08:59Yet another significant fashion blunder that had us thinking, was this approved by a child?
09:05Also in February 2019, British label Burberry sparked controversy when its models appeared
09:10on the runway wearing hoodies with drawstrings tied to resemble nooses around their necks.
09:21The first major criticism came from Burberry model Liz Kennedy, who had walked the runway
09:25wearing one of the hoodies.
09:27Kennedy condemned the fashion house for trivializing mental health issues and evoking disturbing
09:32imagery of lynching.
09:34The company apologized and removed the product and all images that featured it.
09:43Burberry wouldn't be the only brand to get called out by its model.
09:45In September of the same year, runway model Aisha Tan Jones protested at a Gucci show
09:51for the use of straitjackets in the company's Spring-Summer 2020 collection.
10:002.
10:03Arnond-John-Alexander case
10:10In the mid-2000s, Arnond-John-Alexander was a rising star in the fashion industry.
10:15He had styled big names like Janet Jackson and Paris Hilton, and even made it into Newsweek's
10:20Who's Next in 2007.
10:22However, his promising career took a dark turn in March 2007 when he was arrested and
10:28multiple counts of sexual assault against aspiring models, some of whom were minors.
10:44These ladies alleged that Alexander lured them to his house with promises of modeling
10:48opportunities only to assault them.
10:51Following a highly publicized trial, Alexander was convicted of numerous criminal counts
10:55and sentenced to 59 years to life in prison.
11:03Despite this conviction, Alexander maintains his innocence and continues to fight for his
11:07release.
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11:24Number 1.
11:25Mario Testino and Bruce Weber Sexual Assault Allegations
11:35They are two of the world's most renowned fashion photographers, having worked with
11:39major brands like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Versace, and Chanel, just to name a few.
11:45But in 2018, Mario Testino and Bruce Weber faced troubling allegations of sexual harassment
11:51and assault.
11:52These allegations, which were detailed in investigative reports by The New York Times,
11:56were brought forward by several male models and assistants who had worked with the photographers.
12:17The scandal sent shockwaves through the industry, prompting media giant Condé Nast to say that
12:22they would suspend its collaborations with them.
12:24Both Testino and Weber denied the allegations.
12:27Weber was even sued by some of his accusers, although the cases were later dismissed or
12:31settled without him admitting any guilt.
12:42What other outrageous fashion scandals did we omit?
12:45Let us know in the comments below.