Burberry Announces New Diversity Initiatives Following "Noose Hoodie" Incident

Update, 2/26: Following backlash against a “noose hoodie” design on its Fall 2019 runway, Burberry is announcing new diversity initiatives within the company.

After issuing a formal apology and removing the offensive designs from the collection, the fashion house took to Instagram to share new company programs to prevent future issues with racism. “We are determined to learn from this and have spoken with our employees, experts and communities we impacted, we have developed a plan to increase our consciousness and understanding of social issues and fully embrace diversity and inclusion,” Marco Gobbetti, CEO of Burberry Group, said in a statement.

The three new overarching initiatives are as follows:

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These steps include: 1. Increasing our understanding We will strengthen our understanding of and sensitivity to a range of perspectives to help us live the values we hold and be truly inclusive. We will: . • Introduce additional training for all employees, including senior management • Establish employee councils focused on diversity and inclusion • Assemble an advisory board of external experts 2. Diversifying the pipeline of talent We will evolve our pipeline of talent to ensure we better reflect the world we live in and build a more diverse talent base for the future. We will: . • Strengthen goals to ensure diverse representation in our employee base • Expand our creative arts scholarship internationally to support students from diverse backgrounds and provide full-time employment for 50 graduates from the programme over the next five years • Extend internationally Burberry Inspire, our in-school arts and culture programme designed to help young people overcome challenging circumstances and see future opportunity in the creative industries 3. Championing those who help others We will add to our support of organisations promoting diversity and inclusion and providing assistance to people in crisis, including the Samaritans, who offer a safe, confidential place to which people can turn

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The brand will introduce several programs to support each overarching initiative and educate its employees on sensitive social and race issues.

Update, 2/22: Days after Burberry apologized for sending an offensive “noose hoodie” down the runway, its creative director Riccardo Tisci is speaking out too. Tisci took to Instagram to issue a heartfelt formal apology for the Fall 2019 collection piece.

“I’m deeply sorry to anyone whose feelings I unintentionally have hurt. I am a man of my principles and I take my responsibilities seriously. I am committed to learn from this so that this never happens again,” Tisci wrote.

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I’d like to express myself following my recent show. First of all, I‘m deeply sorry to anyone whose feelings I unintentionally have hurt. I am a man of my principles and I take my responsibilities seriously. I am committed to learn from this so that this never happens again. Those who know me well or who know my work will understand that any references I have used in my collections have never been driven by negativity. This is not at my core. I take inspirations from life as I love it, in all of its beautiful forms. This collection was born from a very positive place. Throughout my life I have always fought for diversity, for sexuality, for people of colour, for women’s rights, for all genders, and for inclusivity. And I consider myself a world citizen and I’ve been raised in a loving family who taught me how to love and respect everyone around me. I listen, I learn, I improve and I believe in the power of love.

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In his post, Tisci claimed the design was not meant to be offensive or negative, “Those who know me well or who know my work will understand that any references I have used in my collections have never been driven by negativity. This is not at my core. I take inspirations from life as I love it, in all of its beautiful forms. This collection was born from a very positive place. Throughout my life I have always fought for diversity, for sexuality, for people of colour, for women’s rights, for all genders, and for inclusivity. And I consider myself a world citizen and I’ve been raised in a loving family who taught me how to love and respect everyone around me.”

The creative director concluded by saying, “I listen, I learn, I improve and I believe in the power of love.”

Original Article, 2/19: Burberry is coming under fire after sending a “noose hoodie” down its Fall 2019 runway at London Fashion Week. The brand, along with its creative director Riccardo Tisci, is now apologizing for the deeply disturbing piece and removing it from the collection.

Model Liz Kennedy first called out the problematic sweatshirt on Instagram after voicing criticism of the piece backstage at the show. “Suicide is not fashion. It is not glamorous nor edgy,” she wrote before revealing her concerns were dismissed at the show.

“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 continued on Instagram, “Let’s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either. There are hundreds of ways to tie a rope and they chose to tie it like a noose completely ignoring the fact that it was hanging around a neck.”

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@burberry @riccardotisci17 Suicide is not fashion. It is not glamorous nor edgy and since this show is dedicated to the youth expressing their voice, here I go. Riccardo Tisci and everyone at Burberry it is beyond me how you could let a look resembling a noose hanging from a neck out on the runway. How could anyone overlook this and think it would be okay to do this especially in a line dedicated to young girls and youth. The impressionable youth. Not to mention the rising suicide rates world wide. Let’s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either. There are hundreds of ways to tie a rope and they chose to tie it like a noose completely ignoring the fact that it was hanging around a neck. A massive brand like Burberry who is typically considered commercial and classy should not have overlooked such an obvious resemblance. I left my fitting extremely triggered after seeing this look (even though I did not wear it myself). Feeling as though I was right back where I was when I was going through an experience with suicide in my family. Also to add in they briefly hung one from the ceiling (trying to figure out the knot) and were laughing about it in the dressing room. 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. Nobody cares about what’s going on in your personal life so just keep it to yourself” well I’m sorry but this is an issue bigger than myself. The issue is not about me being upset, there is a bigger picture here of what fashion turns a blind eye to or does to gain publicity. A look so ignorantly put together and a situation so poorly handled. I am ashamed to have been apart of the show. #burberry. I did not post this to disrespect the designer or the brand but to simply express an issue I feel very passionate about.

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“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. Nobody cares about what’s going on in your personal life so just keep it to yourself,'” Kennedy added.

The model also claims that staff were joking about the sweatshirt in the dressing room before the show, hanging a noose from the ceiling. After the piece caused major backlash online, her remarks led to an apology from the brand’s CEO and creative director. In a statement released to CNN, Marco Gobbetti, chief executive officer, said:

Riccardo Tisci, the brand’s creative director, also apologized, “I am so deeply sorry for the distress that has been caused as a result of one of the pieces in my show on Sunday.” The piece will also be removed from the collection.

Burberry’s offensive design comes just one week after Gucci received backlash for a turtleneck resembling blackface. The brand immediately issued an apology, pulled the product, and announced several initatives to increase diversity throughout the company.

Dapper Dan, a frequent collaborator of Gucci, spoke out about the brand’s mistake on Instagram. He revealed Gucci’s CEO, Marco Bizzarri, personally flew from Italy to meet with Dan and other community members in Harlem to discuss the issue. The meeting ended with plans to launch several diversity programs throughout the fashion house, including global and regional directors for diversity and inclusion, a diversity and inclusivity awareness program, and a multicultural design scholarship program.

With brands continually making “mistakes” in terms of race, what will it take for designers to finally start educating themselves on issues of racism and diversity in the year 2019?

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