What's up with major designer brands and other companies making RACIST clothes, other goods and ads?

Forums: Racism, Advertising, Fashion, Culture, Society
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Hi. I don't know that much about major designer brands and the clothes they produce, but I saw some stuff online about these companies producing RACIST clothing, and ads. This piqued my curiosity.

I've seen and read the articles at these links:

https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/02/gucci-blackface-controversy-racism-history-fashion.html
https://www.blackenterprise.com/gucci-blackface-sambo-coat-fashion-met-racism/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/offensive-fashion-1.5035621

There's more links like this out there.

Such racial and cultural insensitivity isn't just limited to designer clothes, in THIS day and age. On a related note, there have been a few racially- and culturally-insensitive ads for products like soap and laundry detergent produced recently:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/offensive-fashion-1.5035621

Seriously, what is the point of major designer brands producing RACIST clothing?

Are they trying to alienate, and/or dissuade or discourage current and/or potential BLACK consumers from buying their products?

Some Black folks, especially some celebs, are right to boycott supporting these clothing brands and buying their goods. What I don't understand is why some Black folks ARE supporting these clothing brands and buying these goods, like Beyonce.

It's not just racist clothing designer brands put out:

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/14/18141320/prada-racist-blackface-imagery-sambo-figurines-charms

Some of the ads designer brands put out are racist.

I'm an African American. If you can't respect your customers, you shouldn't be in business. Seriously.

Companies like Gucci, Prada and Armani should KNOW better.

People of color have as much right to "live it up" and buy expensive things if they want to, and if they can afford to.

Exercising such racial and cultural insensitivity is not just limited to clothing brands. Certain other companies have put out ads reflect the same thing:

https://thegrio.com/2018/01/25/racism-brands-corporate/
https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/01/27/brands-consciously-using-racist-advertising-stand/

Why are other companies producing racist ads in THIS day and age?

At least, as far as advertising is concerned, SOME companies who produced the ads I am referring to admitted they were wrong and that they goofed. And SOME companies had enough sense to recall their offensive products.

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@JGoldman10,

JGoldman10 wrote:

I'm an African American. If you can't respect your customers, you shouldn't be in business. Seriously.

Companies like Gucci, Prada and Armani should KNOW better.

People of color have as much right to "live it up" and buy expensive things if they want to, and if they can afford to, as anyone else.

Exercising such racial and cultural insensitivity is not just limited to clothing brands. Certain other companies have put out ads that reflect the same thing:

https://thegrio.com/2018/01/25/racism-brands-corporate/
https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/01/27/brands-consciously-using-racist-advertising-stand/

Why are other companies producing racist ads in THIS day and age?

At least, as far as advertising is concerned, SOME companies who produced the ads I am referring to admitted they were wrong and that they goofed. And SOME companies had enough sense to recall their offensive products.

FIXED.

0 Replies

@JGoldman10,

It's nothing new. It didn't do Hugo Boss any harm manufacturing all those uniforms for Nazi Germany.

2 Replies

Quote:

what is the point of major designer brands producing RACIST clothing?

Making sure they generate some buzz and their brand becomes more visible.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

Quote:
what is the point of major designer brands producing RACIST clothing?

Making sure they generate some buzz and their brand becomes more visible.

This is likely the impetus to these current (and past) attempts to bring marketing pseudocontroversy ... (any attention ... even negative attention is good attention style of marketing).

I guess one or two of the recent marketing gaffes could have been done ... truly by accident ... albeit a completely stupid and tone-deaf accident.... But most of these corps couldn't have been that oblivious to not realize their racial mistakes....

0 Replies

@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

It's nothing new. It didn't do Hugo Boss any harm manufacturing all those uniforms for Nazi Germany.

That's NOT the same thing. I know Fanta was a soft drink brand created for Nazi Germany by the Coca-Cola company.

There were a few major brands that were once Nazi collaborators:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/major-brands-nazi-collaborators/3

I know IBM once helped Nazi Germany carry out the Holocaust by supplying them with machinery.

I'm talking about companies producing racist or racially- or culturally-products, or using racist or racially- or culturally-insensitive imagery on their products or in their ads.

If you had companies producing products and ads that used Nazi propaganda imagery and symbols, such as Swastikas, in THIS day and age, I would think a lot of GERMANS, AUSTRIANS, and SWISS and especially a lot of JEWISH people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the U.S. and in the rest of world would be OFFENDED by this.

Olivier5 wrote:

Quote:
what is the point of major designer brands producing RACIST clothing?

Making sure they generate some buzz and their brand becomes more visible.

So that's why Beyoncé, who is African American, was walking around sporting and promoting a Sambo trench coat? She wanted the attention and publicity?

3 Replies

@JGoldman10,

There are laws against displaying the swastika in Germany. It would be illegal to include it in an advertisement.

I think, as others have already pointed out, the reason the companies are doing it is to court controversy, the idea that all news is good news.

Why it seems acceptable is the political atmosphere right now. A lot of people thought America had turned a corner when Obama was elected, that racism was suddenly a thing of the past.

Trump's election was a backlash, social progress halted. People started attacking political correctness and accusing those offended by racist/sexist/homophobic jokes of not having a sense of humour. This sort of advertising is all part of the same march backwards.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

the MARKET has the best way of dealing with **** like this. When folks dont show up in droves to buy it, it stops.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

To a certain extent. MAGA hats are still being sold, and while certain groups attach a particular chic to designer prejudice the market won't do anything.

The only way to stop the influence of the racist dollar is to stop people being racist.

0 Replies

@JGoldman10,

Quote:

So that's why Beyoncé, who is African American, was walking around sporting and promoting a Sambo trench coat? She wanted the attention and publicity?

That, or she just liked the outfit.

0 Replies

@JGoldman10,

JGoldman10 wrote:

I'm talking about companies producing racist or racially- or culturally-insensitive products, or using racist or racially- or culturally-insensitive imagery on their products or in their ads.

FIXED.

farmerman wrote:

The MARKET has the best way of dealing with **** like this. When folks don't show up in droves to buy it, it stops.

What "market"?

1 Reply

Seriously, who at GUCCI thought a "blackface" sweater was a "good" idea?:

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/s36/MAvericker/1/e65f20b6-89a7-43d2-bed7-0c9db76fb8f6-original.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

Who at H&M thought advertising THIS was a "good" idea?:

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/s36/MAvericker/1/be3da570-ad9d-40ed-b087-8ca3b19dd345-original.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

It's nothing new. It didn't do Hugo Boss any harm manufacturing all those uniforms for Nazi Germany.

Sad, isn't it.

0 Replies

@JGoldman10,

"CUSTOMERS". As far as I can tell, noone is forcing anyone to buy **** like this (Im assuming that this isnt just some cruel stupid joke).
I think it would be hilarious to spend all this capital on designing, manufacturing, and marketing such crap, and then nobody buys it.
How are people responding to this? If they go out and buy it, maybe our problems are far worse than Id thought.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

You saw the marchers in Charlottesville. Are you saying they wouldn't buy stuff like this?

The market only works when there is universal revulsion. Let's say Coca Cola ran a campaign with Osama Bin Laden enjoying a coke with the twin towers of 9/11 in the background with the slogan "Have a Coke and a Smile."

There would be an automatic boycott of coke because Bin Laden is hated across the genders and races. But what if they showed a couple of LA police officers watching Rodney King getting a good kicking?

Sales would definitely go down but some people would be motivated to buy more. And what if instead of a brand with a huge global market like Coke it was a product you've never heard of?

Let's say freedom cola, and this small company's ads are coupled with endorsements from info wars and Fox News. Soon you'd find it had a niche market of racists or "people with a sense of humour who aren't afraid to be politically incorrect," as they like to present themselves.

Are you really saying market forces alone could stop that from happening?

1 Reply

@JGoldman10,

People get killed, raped, and robed every single day. Hundreds of them, if not thousands. We are making the climate unlivable for our children and grand children... Meanwhile, all you've found to get angry about is a couple of sweaters? You must be the funniest monkey in the jungle.

2 Replies

@Olivier5,

It's hard to take the moral high ground when you resort to racist language.

Mr Goldman is African American, calling him a monkey is racist and disgusting.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

You're entitled to be disgusted by such trivial things. I'm not trying to take the moral high ground... Just saying that I get angry about other things than sweaters.

I find it mystifying that some people can waste so much energy on cultural wars when there are real wars raging, and a war on climate change yet to be fought.

Just to stay on racism, it’s a problem with far worse manifestations that sweaters. US black folks routinely get shot by policemen for no reason. That gets me angry alright; I understand how devastating the constant fear of the police is to Black communities in the States. But I can’t worry that much about a Prada outfit.

2 Replies

@Olivier5,

Racism isn't trivial, it leads to murder, and this is the thin end of the wedge.

Any point you may have had about other issues taking priority is lost when you use racist language.

I'm not upset about sweaters, I'm offended by you calling Mr Goldman a monkey.

At the very least he deserves an apology, and you need to re-evaluate how you talk to people from other ethnic groups.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

when a manufacturer only targets half of its potential market, its usually considered a dumb move. The Charlottseville "Tiki Torch Brigade" is mostly laughable and are more there because of the media attention. Where are they today?? The racist statues have been quietly removed from Richmond's Memorial Ave and guess what? Hardly a peep from those clowns.

There are many many Asian source Tee shirts and sweats that have semi racist remarks. They get added to "assortments" of Tees that Marshalls or Joe Banks or Target will sell. After a careful inspection of orders the store just takes em out of the bins and sends em to to the "Burn pile" (STores in US, if they dont sell(or want to sell) stuff, have policies to destroy them rather than sell them at discount.

Racist stuff will usually have a hort market opportunity. One place ome of this stuff IS sold (or tried to), are in souvenir shops at our beaches. M uch of their apparel is "potty mouthed" with childish attempts at humor .Most of it doesnt quite rise to a minimal standard of "Funny"

0 Replies

What's up with major designer brands and other companies making RACIST clothes, other goods and ads?

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