Shocking fashion collections history! In November, Dolce & Gabbana canceled a Shanghai fashion show, just as it was scheduled to start, after being accused of racism. The controversy started after the luxury label shared videos on Instagram in which an Asian model attempted to eat Italian food with chopsticks. The videos were meant to promote the Shanghai event, which the brand had dubbed “The Great Show,” but instead they sparked anger online. Users on the Chinese social media platform Weibo accused the label of trivializing Chinese culture and presenting a racist view of women. To make matters even worse, it appeared Stefano Gabbana, one of the brand’s co-founders, was responding to upset commenters online with offensive insults. He later claimed his account, and the account of the brand, had been hacked.
John Galliano’s Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2000 Collection, “Haute Homeless”, For John Galliano’s Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2000 show, he created a collection based on the homeless Parisians he encountered while running along the Seine. To that end, he presented a bricolage collection of shredded and tattered couture garments that had found objects like mini whiskey bottles and kitchen utensils strung along the models’ waists. Many found homelessness to be a distasteful theme for a haute couture collection where dresses can go for upwards of $50,000 and the resulting criticism prompted Galliano to apologize for upsetting so many, stating that it was not meant to offend but rather celebrate the style of the homeless people he encountered in Paris.
Tory Burch’s All-White “Juju On That Beat” Ad, Tory Burch was accused of cultural appropriation after featuring three white models dancing to “Juju On That Beat” in her ad campaign. One social media user captured the overwhelming sentiment quite succinctly: “Tory Burch definitely should’ve had women of color in that ad and that’s all I’m going to say about the situation.”
Controversy King, late punky London designer Alexander McQueen, seemed to earn his crown with each and every fashion show he presented. One of the most reverberant shows was his Spring/Summer 2000 collection, which remains relevant and provocative today. The show featured as part of New York fashion week and seemed destined to shake things up. As though McQueen was some kind of vengeful angel or Prospero-like wizard, the show coincided with the night of Hurricane Floyd. Throughout his career, McQueen faced accusations of misogyny, despite creating some of the fiercest garments for women out there. He flung us into an ambivalent world in shows like Eye, which dealt with the theme of Western fears of Islam. Years after the designer’s death from taking his own life, it seems like the East and West are still struggling with reconciliation. Many of the clothes in the show directly referenced traditional Islamic dress and were particularly controversial because they included sexualized versions of the niqaab. During the finale, models in burqas flew over a bed of nails that had risen from the floor. Drama.
Another disturbing fashion line is Headhunters Line, a very bold fashion line that already generated a lot of controversy. Sex, guns, shocking message, this fashion clothing line has them all. See extra details at Headhunters Clothing.
