一波未平，一波又起。时尚界种族歧视风波已不新鲜，继早前报导Prada宣布全面下架品牌推出名为Otto的猴子卡通产品，日前再有品牌涉及种族歧视争议。今次主角却是提倡平权多元化意识的Gucci。相比起以往品牌做法，Gucci果断下架产品同时发出声明，创意总监 Alessandro Michele其后向公司内部发表道歉信。到底事件发生什么事，我们且听听品牌解释。
Gucci种族歧视事件与Prada昔日遭遇相似，全因为品牌所设计名为Balaclava的黑色长袖高领毛衣。心水清的你会发现这件嘴唇高领毛衣与Gucci去年天桥款式相似，好端端的设计怎么会事隔多天才起争议？问题是那件夸张红嘴唇配黑色长袖高领毛衣设计刻意让穿衣者露出嘴巴，红唇及黑毛衣造型恰恰与扮黑脸（blackface）形象相近，因而引发嘲讽非裔人士的红唇与深肤色特征的争论。
一名非洲裔美国时尚博主把这款高领毛衣放到社交媒体，并写上（Happy Black History Month y’all）等讽刺字眼。相比起Otto 猴子种族歧视事件网民一面倒的反应，不少人为Alessandro Michele抱不平指出博主反应过激，更有网民搞笑回应指：“让人感觉不舒服是这件价值890美元毛衣昂贵的价格吧！”然而Gucci对事件的高度关注程度远超大家所想，品牌为平息种族歧视风波快速下架相关产品。其后品牌发表声明指出为此无意冒犯而致歉，同时确保这款商品将会从所有门店下架。不久后再度发出声明指会承诺提升内部的多元化意识，把今次事件作为Gucci 团队日后前车可鉴的教训。
↓Prada Otto 玩偶吊饰
事情风波持续扩大，连创意总监 Alessandro Michele也为今次品牌种族争议向公品内部发表道歉信，内容指出自己当初设计这件毛衣理念源自怪诞艺术家Leigh Bowery，他天马行空的行为艺术成为品牌致敬赞美原因。但却没想到这种创意会引发种族歧视争议，Alessandro Michele也为此感到很悲伤难过。信件强调他非刻意所为并愿意为事年负上全部责任并致歉。同时他指出品牌不但会下架商品同时会加强员工的多元文化意识教育。毕竟品牌打着多元化为复兴的核心口号，难怪会严肃看待事件。
“Dear Colleagues,
I feel the need to write you all these few words to give a name to the pain of these days: my own and that of the people who saw in one of my creative projects an intolerable insult.
It’s important for me to let you know that the jumper actually had very specific references, completely different from what was ascribed instead. It was a tribute to Leigh Bowery, to his camouflage art, to his ability to challenge the bourgeois conventions and conformism, to his eccentricity as a performer, to his extraordinary vocation to masquerade meant as a hymn to freedom.
The fact that, contrarily to my intentions, that turtle-neck jumper evoked a racist imagery causes me the greatest grief. But I am aware that sometimes our actions can end up with causing unintentional effects. It is therefore necessary taking full accountability for these effects.
For this reason our company immediately apologized and withdraw the garment that produced such controversies. As you may have read from Marco in his letter, we are putting in place a series of immediate actions across the world that will increase inclusivity, diversity, participation and cultural awareness at any level and in any workplace.
We are truly committed in facing what happened as a crucial learning moment for everybody.
I’ve always fought to grant myself and any other the possibility to be different. I’ve hardly been through this fight all over my personal life and I later brought it into my work. Here I always tried to give citizenship’s right to the traditionally marginalized, to those who felt unrepresented, to those that history silenced or made believe they were worthless.
My aim, in which personal and political are intimately interwoven, has always been to turn the pain into a chant. Therefore I’ve always worked to let alternative imageries loaded with joyful inclusion emerge. Imageries able to celebrate diversity in every form. Imageries able to favour empowerment and self-determination processes. This is who I am and these are the things I believe in.
I really shelter the suffer of all I have offended. And I am heartfully sorry for this hurt. I hope I can rely on the understanding of those who know me and can acknowledge the constant tension towards the celebration of diversity that has always shaped my work. This is the only celebration I’m willing to stand for.”
值得大家反思的是时尚大牌何以频繁惹上歧视风波？明白时尚品牌向来喜爱旧立新而主力把新颖设计手法吸引消息者的眼光。然而走在资讯科技爆炸的年代，品牌全球性影响力绝对不容忽视。以往快时尚巨头H&M因为种族歧视而陷入舆论无法自保，品牌对种族主义色彩的设计应该具有全面敏感意识，从根本解决问题。
