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The law enforcement agency has been investigating and in settlement talks with Prada since 2018 when the Italian fashion housedisplayed cartoon characters in its SoHo, N.Y.C. store windowthat many accused of being racist for its resemblance to blackface imagery. (At the time, Prada quickly removed the figurines and issued a public apology.) The two parties came to an agreement and signed a deal on Tuesday, according to theNew York Times.
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“We share the New York City Commission on Human Rights’ commitment to ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented and respected, and we are pleased that our diversity and inclusion initiatives are aligned with their vision for a more equitable, inclusive industry,” a spokeswoman for Prada said, according to theNew York Times. “Prada is gratified to have been able to collaborate with the New York City Commission on Human Rights on a mutually agreeable conclusion.”
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The article also reported that all New York employees will have “racial equity training,” as well as executives in Milan, including Miuccia Prada, her husband and Prada chief executive Patrizio Bertelli and other senior employees, given that their decisions impact others in the company.
Prada is also to hire a diversity and inclusion officer to review designs before they are marketed and sold to American consumers. And next year, the brand is to report back to the commission on the “demographic make-up” of the staff at every level.
Two other luxury brands recently accused of racism and exploitation, Gucci and Christian Dior, are also reportedly negotiating with the commission.
At the time, Gucci issued a statement on Twitter apologizing for the insensitive piece.
And just a few months later, Dior received backlash after avideo teaser for a new Sauvage fragrance campaignstarringJohnny Deppdebuted, which featuredCanku Thomas One Star,a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, performing the Fancy War Dance wearing a colorful traditional ensemble.
Just minutes after sharing the videos to the brand’s Twitter, Dior received a slew of negative reaction.
When asked for comment to the backlash, Dior provided PEOPLE the full press release of the campaign. The brand wrote that the film was “developed as a close collaboration between the House of Dior and Native American consultants from the 50-year old Indigenous advocacy organization, Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO), in order to respect Indigenous cultures, values and heritage.”
One day later, Dior pulled its campaign video from all social media accounts including Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Dior
“There was never — and how could there be or how would there be — any dishonorable [intent],” Depp toldThe Hollywood Reporter. “The film was made with a great respect for the indigenous people not just of North America but all over the world. It’s a pity that people jumped the gun and made these objections. However, their objections are their objections.”
He expressed that he wished the world could have seen the full video, instead of just the short sneak peek. “A teaser obviously is a very concentrated version of images and there were objections to the teaser of the small film,” he said but hopes they reach a common ground to air the full video.
Sapna V. Raj, deputy commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, hopes this action demonstrates a “new model of corporate accountability.”
“I don’t know that we realized previously so many major fashion houses had this ignorance of the history of racism in this country,” she toldThe New York Times. “We hope companies realize they need to be very careful about how they market and advertise — that they need to have a larger social and cultural consciousness,” she added.
source: people.com
