Gucci's $890 'blackface' jumper sparks outrage forcing brand to apologize and withdraw sale of 'racist' garment
The sweater was ridiculed by social media users as racist and insensitive at a time when multiple politicians in the country are facing cases of donning blackface in their younger years
Luxury fashion brand Gucci issued an apology on Wednesday after facing a heavy backlash over the sale of a black balaclava sweater from their "Fall Winter" collection, after social media users slammed it for resembling blackface. The $900 “knit top” sweater features a large mouth cover with bold red lips on it and was deemed as the “Haute Couture Blackface for millennials" by Twitter users.
Blackface is the practice of wearing makeup and costumes by non-black people to appear as a person of color. The practice, which is seen as disparaging stereotypes, is strongly criticized by the Aboriginal community, civil rights and anti-discrimination groups and activists.