Givenchy has been accused of promoting suicide after a model wore a necklace in their fashion concert.
Givenchy has been condemned after a model in Givenchy’s Spring/Summer 2022 Show wore a necklace that has been likened to a Burberry’s noose hoodie and accused of “glamourising suicide in fashion“.
Creative director Matthew M. Williams debuted his first live runway show on Sunday as part of Paris Fashion Week, which featured the controversial silver accessory.
The 35-year-old Chicago native, who has previously collaborated with Lady Gaga and Kanye West, said he was “honoured” to accept the role.
Diet Prada, an Instagram page and fashion watchdog with nearly three million followers, highlighted the similarities with a post, comparing the necklace with Burberry’s 2019 noose hoodie which sparked outrage and led to the fashion house rendering a full apology.
Numerous social media users accused the luxury brand of “outrage marketing”.
See some of their comments below;
“You’d think the industry would’ve learned not to put things that resemble nooses around a model’s neck after the whole @Burberry noose hoodie debacle in 2019,” the post begins.
“This @givenchyofficial necklace that just came down the runway steers dangerously close to that same territory. Really makes you wonder how no one noticed, but alas… history repeats itself.”
“It’s almost as if they did this for the publicity,” one user wrote.
Another added: ”Ummmm, as [a] person who’s worked in fashion for a few years, there’s zero chance that went unnoticed. The content or the structure. Support a small designer instead”.
“This ‘necklace’ had to go through multiple channels, from design to final approval and they knew what they were doing. It’s not as if this was meant to raise awareness, this is straight glamorising suicide in fashion.”
Others felt the accusation was a “reach”, however.
“It’s just edgy”, wrote one user, while another added: “Uh oh the art police is here”.
Others have defended the necklace, dubbing its critics the ‘art police’ and arguing it’s meant to be provocative. ‘It’s almost like fashion/art is intended to start conversation and provoke responses from people and y’all are policing everything that pushes social boundaries and makes art worthwhile because you can’t think of anything better to write about,’ one user wrote.
It’s been called out by others on social media, including Kim Saira, who commented, ‘How did this go through several people before this show and everyone thought this was okay? Also why am I not surprised?’
The brand Givenchy is yet to comment on the controversy surrounding the art piece.