The Conflict

In an age when consumerism, materialism, and social injustices are prominent and relevant concerns, the fashion industry is one sector of society that appears isolated from critique and interrogation. As a trending topic in media, only some individuals have broke through the outside barrier of what encapsulates fashion and the issues surrounding it. Through child labor, environmental degradation, and body image issues, fashion has had many ugly and dark sides. One of the most pertinent and darkest issues fashion faces today is racism.

While racism has always existed and continues to be a significant issue, society does not realize how much racism exists within the fashion industry. Throughout various advertisements, products, and “icons,” the industry is littered with racists references, yet the most shocking part about the issue is that no one talked about it until recently. Fashion and the players in the industry have been and are always isolated from world. Their exclusive society was separate from everyone else which led to ignorance and arrogance from many fashion figures and brands.

Some of the most current scandals and moments involving racism occurred with big-name brands like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Nike. In 2018, the high-end brand, Gucci, released black sweaters and ski-masks with red lips surrounding the opening for the mouth that resembled blackface in their fall/winter collection. In the same year, Dolce & Gabbana released a commercial with a Chinese model in Italy eating pizza with chopsticks. Previously, the co-founder and creative director, Stefano Gabbana, was recorded making racist remarks about Chinese consumers. Coinciding with these events, Nike signed with Colin Kaepernick in a controversial series of ads promoting their products and “taking the knee” stance. 2018 marked a year that initiated a backlash of criticism and indignant reactions from not only consumers but the public in general.

Now, as people move through the year of 2019, history continues to repeat itself over and over. In January, Prada released sambo-inspired keychains while Balmain painted their models with ebony-colored makeup on the runway. As more media attention focuses on social injustices within the fashion industry, racism becomes more apparent as a recurring raw subject that needs to be addressed more.