Of all the things to have sprung up thanks to the rise of social media, call-out culture has probably had one of the biggest impacts on the fashion industry. With a rise in social justice warriors roaming the internet, and Instagram accounts like Diet Prada in play, anyone is fair game, no matter size or scale.
Thanks to the viral phenomenon of call-out culture, the past few years have seen some of fashion’s biggest names declared cancelled—with their reputation smeared (rightfully so) over everything from racist remarks and cultural appropriation to downright despicable behaviours like soliciting inappropriate photos from minors.
So in the spirit of the new year, we decided to round up some of the industry’s biggest cancellations.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana
The Italian designers have had their fair share of scandals over the years, but as of last month, it reached a major breaking point after the Italian fashion house released their latest campaign video ahead of a major fashion show set to be held in China. Vigilante Instagram account @diet_prada called out the designers for the tasteless video depicting racist Chinese stereotypes. Leaked message exchanges with Stefano Gabbana followed, and just a day later, the fashion house announced the cancellation of the show. They issued an apology, but the internet had already declared Dolce and Gabbana cancelled.
Gosha Rubchinskiy
Just a little over a week ago, another scandal took the fashion world by storm—and yes of course—Diet Prada was once again involved. This time, Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy, who is 34-years-old, was accused of soliciting inappropriate photos from a 16-year-old, who published screenshots of conversations he carried with Rubchinskiy online. The designer has since denied these claims, but from the looks of it, call-out culture has weeded him out permanently.
John Galliano
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Even before vigilante Instagram accounts were around, fashion designers still couldn’t stop themselves from landing in hot water. In 2011, British designer John Galliano found himself in French courts after spewing racist insults at a couple in a café in Paris. He was eventually fined for his anti-Semitic rant, and ultimately shunned from the industry.
Marc Jacobs
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After sending a predominantly white cast down the runway sporting dreadlocks, the internet immediately condemned Marc Jacobs for cultural appropriation. The designer responded by saying that he “does not see colour” and addressed his critics by adding, “[To] all who cry ‘cultural appropriation’ or whatever nonsense about any race or skin colour wearing their hair in any particular style or manner – funny how you don’t criticise women of colour for straightening their hair.” To no one’s surprise, his responses were not well-received.
Alice Temperley
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London-based designer, and Kate Middleton favourite Alice Temperly wore a Native American headdress and posed for a photo with her father earlier this month. Immediately, her followers denounced her for cultural appropriation. Her defense? “I collect beautiful headdresses,” she said. The designer was then called out further for viewing the headdresses, which are designed to be worn only by Native American chiefs, as mere collection items.
