Fail Burberry · 2019
A hoodie with a noose on the runway
What happened
Burberry's London Fashion Week show included a hoodie with a knotted cord at the neck resembling a noose. A model in the show criticised it publicly; Burberry apologised and removed the piece.
What went wrong
Suicide is the leading cause of death for young men in the UK, and the reference was legible instantly to everyone except the approval chain.
The rule
Self-harm and suicide imagery has no artistic-licence exemption in commercial fashion. Media guidelines exist for a reason.
Takeaway
The person who spoke up was inside the show. Build a channel that lets them speak before it walks.
More like this
- H&M — H&M's hoodie and the word on it 2018
- Balenciaga — Balenciaga's children, bears, and court documents 2022
- Apple — Apple crushes a piano and apologises 2024
- Burger King UK — Burger King buries the punchline 2021
- Nike — The Fourth of July shoe that never shipped 2019
Open these markets in the calendar → United Kingdom calendar All fails