'Blackface is live and well': Prada pulls 'racist' trinkets from range
The brand drops the character over backlash and says it "abhors racist imagery", adding they were not a reference to blackface.
Saturday 15 December 2018 06:48, UK
Prada has pulled "fantasy charm" keyrings, trinkets and figurines from its range after they were branded racist on social media.
The backlash came after civil rights lawyer Chinyere Ezie posted a photo of a Prada shopfront in New York featuring what Prada said were "imaginary creatures".
However, Ms Ezie noted how the "Pradamalia" characters appeared to resemble racist caricatures of black people.
Along with the photos, she wrote: "Spotted today in Soho. Thanks @Prada for making sure blackface remains live and well. #stopracism #NoExcuses #shameonyou."
The photos of the dark-coloured figurines - complete with large red lips - soon sparked the hashtag #BoycottPrada as people expressed their disgust.
"Have you all lost your minds? Are you all that ignorant of the blatant racist display in your store right now?!" wrote one social media user, while another branded it "despicable".
Another asked: "How many times does a black child's heart have to get broken in this culture? How does a black parent walking with their daughter or son explain these images? Or a white parent for that matter?"
Ms Ezie said the images were "a harsh reminder that casual racism is just as traumatic as racism in its other forms".
She added: "If @prada had people of colour on staff in positions of power, #BoycottPrada would have never happened. Just another reminder why #diversitymatters."
Prada responded on Twitter and said it was dropping the character in question from its range and its branding.
It said: "Prada Group abhors racist imagery. The Pradamalia are fantasy charms composed of elements of the Prada oeuvre. They are imaginary creatures not intended to have any reference to the real world and certainly not blackface.
"Prada Group never had the intention of offending anyone and we abhor all forms of racism and racist imagery. In this interest we will withdraw the characters in question from display and circulation."
Another fashion house, Dolce & Gabbana, has recently apologised after being accused of making racist remarks about China on social media - but claims its accounts were hacked.