Known for its flashy, leather-clad pieces, Italian luxury brand Versace has always maintained a sexy and striking image in all its campaigns, but its latest one is receiving a surprising amount of backlash.
Releasing new photographs of its fall 2016 campaign, featuring models Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss as young ‘power-mums’ of Chicago, Versace was forced to release a statement regarding the new campaign, due to the overwhelming amount of negative response.
Karlie Kloss appears alone in some of the campaign photos. Photo Credit: Bruce Weber/Versace
“The campaign is made of a series of tableaux, some real-life and some fantastical. One part of the story is very glamorous, almost a fantasy, a kind of dream. The other part of the story is the same people, but in their real lives. They’re on the streets of Chicago. They’re with their friends and families.
The combination perfectly illustrates the relevance and wearability of modern Versace for all parts of one’s life, from the ultra-glamorous to the everyday. The images were shot in Chicago and, in classic Weber style, womenswear and menswear are shown together. Some of the campaign photos reflect a take on the modern family, which is wonderfully Weber and very Versace.”
Now why exactly is this campaign receiving such a negative response you ask? Well one of the biggest reasons is that many believe its actually glorifying teen pregnancy, with Hadid being only 21 and Kloss 23, portraying them as mothers to children who are seemingly well over the age of five implies they would’ve been teenagers, children themselves when pregnant.
This has sparked outrage with many believing the campaign serves as more of an advert for a new ‘Teen Mom’ television show, as opposed to an actual fall line. In all honesty, if Versace was hoping to portray a realistic family unit, there were definitely better choices than Hadid and Kloss for the parts. But it’s likely they were chosen more for their star-power and popularity rather than how believable they’d be as mothers.
That being said, some have taken a completely different interpretation of Versace’s new photos, praising the brand and photographer Bruce Weber for portraying an interracial couple through Hadid and her model co-star. Many believe the brand has done well to use their upcoming fall line as a way to promote all kinds of relationships in a world where interracial dating continues to remain a controversial topic.
Versace Fall 2016 Campaign. Photo Credit: Bruce Weber/Versace
But as quick as that praise came, it was overshadowed even quicker by a new set of negative responses, this time in regard to the little girl cast as Hadid’s biracial daughter being strapped into a stroller by a chain. Many have argued it links back to the U.S.’ past with slavery and are accusing the brand and its designer of racism.
With all this mixed reaction, its clear Versace has landed itself in some hot water. While its fair to say the choices of Kloss and Hadid as young mothers may not have been the best fit, as well as the metal chain for a stroller seating a biracial child, its perhaps unfair to accuse the brand of having a more sinister motive in their campaign, as opposed to simply having a lack of sensitivity regarding social issues, or being completely ignorant to them.
That being said, while the brand does seem to have been unaware of the negative connotations that would come with the new campaign, it doesn’t mean they get a free pass. While Versace further explained in their statement the purpose of the campaign was to portray modern societies and relationships in the 21st century, their explanation remains somewhat disingenuous.
“The collection is in touch with the way real people live in the 21st century. That’s the reason why there are these two parts, because that’s the essence of Versace. Versace makes amazing clothes for the red carpet, for parties, for a special night out. But also makes clothes for the rest of your life.”
“The new pictures show that. Bruce is amazing at making the ordinary feel extraordinary. That’s what Donatella and Bruce wanted to say about Versace today.”
While their attempt to address the issues in the campaign needs to be noted, it appears as though those involved in the campaign are not fully aware of why it has received such a negative response, nor do they seem to care. This is where the real issue lies, because rather than accepting the issues, which have been brought to the attention of many and addressing them, Versace appears to only be ignoring them and attempting to explain its design choices.
Gigi and designer Donatella Versace can be seen cuddling up to Gigi’s make-believe daughter in this behind-the-scenes snap. Photo Credit: Donatella Versace Instagram.
But regardless of how much backlash the fashion label is currently receiving, it’s unlikely it will create any long-term consequences. Ultimately, the publicity the campaign has received – both negative and positive – has made it one to watch for all fashion fans.
So where do you sit on Versace’s fall campaign? Do you praise it for its portrayal of an interracial couple or do you think that’s not enough to look past its flaws?