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Journalism of Courage
Brands being called out for their campaigns and collections is not new, but lately, there have been a few ‘creative errors’ made on the part of labels, mainly ‘wrong messaging’ featuring child imagery. Just weeks after Balenciaga was embroiled in a fashion scandal, Gucci, too, seems to have kicked the hornet’s nest with its latest featuring singer, songwriter and actor Harry Styles.
The ‘controversial’ ad featuring Styles was panned online with netizens questioning the ‘inappropriate’ pictures and the need to have child-like imagery. Gucci’s ‘HA HA HA’ campaign comes just weeks after Balenciaga came out with a similar campaign that showed children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage accessories, along with an image of a supreme court ruling on a child pornography case.
In its apology, Balenciaga had stated: “We strongly condemn child abuse; it was never our intent to include it in our narrative. The two separate ad campaigns in question reflect a series of grievous errors for which Balenciaga takes responsibility.”
The Gucci campaign, essentially, has the former ‘One Direction‘ band member holding and posing with, what appear to be, child-size mattresses while wearing a t-shirt with an angry-looking pink teddy bear on it. The luxury label shared the photographs on its official Instagram account, writing: “A performance piece starring Harry Styles and the Gucci HA HA HA collection.”
The writing on the shirt reads, ‘I want more berries and that summer feeling’ — a lyric from Styles’ Grammy-winning 2019 song ‘Watermelon Sugar‘, reports the New York Post. On its website, Gucci has written more about the campaign: “Arising from the friendship between [Styles] and creative director Alessandro Michele, play is at the very heart of the collection, which uses menswear as a tool of the avant-garde.”
“Captured by Mark Borthwick, the series of images sees Harry Styles showcase the ‘dream wardrobe’ defined by the eccentric use of romantic accents, whimsical prints, vintage details, and the expressive emotionality of the individual,” it added.
According to a Daily Mail report, Gucci and Balenciaga are both owned by the Kering group — a French “powerhouse fashion conglomerate” run by Francois-Henri Pinault. Interestingly, while the campaign was originally shot and conceptualised in November, under Michele — who has since stepped down from his role as the brand’s creative director — the singer has been associated with Gucci for years.
People have criticised the campaign, with one person writing on Instagram: “Leave our kids alone!” Another comment read, “Toddler bed and teddy bear?”
One more person wrote, “Stay away from kids”, and another declared, “Time to throw away the Gucci items I own. Bye bye Gucci!”
“What in the Balenciaga is this,” someone commented. Another person wondered, “Not sure why a crib mattress needs to be included in a fashion ad?”
Check out these other reactions:
https://twitter.com/GillianMcKeith/status/1604452754646351873
https://twitter.com/sophielouisecc/status/1604461288289144833
What are your thoughts on this?
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