T.I., Soulja Boy Call for Gucci Boycott Over Blackface Sweater
Gucci is canceled, according to T.I. and Soulja Boy.
The rappers are among those in the hip-hop community calling for a boycott of the designer brand over its wool balaclava jumper, which features an oversized neck with a red cutout for the mouth. The $890 “runway showpiece” from Gucci’s Fall Winter 2018 show has sparked outrage on social media for its depiction of blackface.
Gucci is pulling this $900 sweater after people called out the brand for evoking blackface pic.twitter.com/CSDhUBjAaJ
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 9, 2019
Following the backlash, Gucci has apologized for “offense” caused by the sweater and removed the product from its website. “Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper,” the company said in a statement. “We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.”
Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper.
We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.
Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/P2iXL9uOhs— gucci (@gucci) February 7, 2019
But an apology is not enough for T.I. The Atlanta rapper has taken to social media in protest of the Italian fashion house.
“As a 7 figure/yr customer & long time supporter of your brand I must say…Y’all GOT US fucked UP!!!” said Tip. “APOLOGY NOT ACCEPTED!!!! We ain’t going for this ‘oops my bad I didn’t mean to be racist and disrespectful towards your people’ shit!!! Y’all knew wtf y’all was doin and WE AINT GOING FOR IT!!! We ALL GOTTA Stop buying,wearing,and supporting this piece of shit company And ALL PIECE OF SHIT COMPANIES UNTIL THEY LEARN TO RESPECT OUR DOLLARS & VALUE OUR BUSINESS!!!!”
He continued, “Our culture RUNS THIS SHIT!!! We (People of color) spend $1.25 TRILLION/year (but are the least respected and the least included)and if we stop buying ANYTHING they MUST correct any and ALL of our concerns. That’s THE ONLY WAY we can get some RESPECT PUT ON OUR NAME!!!! I Don’t Give a Fuck if I gotta wear Target brand shit…. #FuckGucci.”
He also issued a call to action, asking consumers to stop buying and wearing Gucci for the next three months. “THIS IS THE AGENDA!!!” he said. “If you go against the movement…It won’t go unnoticed.”
Soulja Boy, whose Gucci headband has become his trademark of late, has also joined the boycott Gucci movement. Wearing a Fendi headband, Young Drako delivered a PSA on Instagram. “Until further notice, Gucci is canceled,” he told his 5 million followers. “I’m shocked and I’m appalled. And I feel disrespected. I supported y’all brands, I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, and y’all came up with a shirt with blackface in it. Gucci is canceled.”
He plans to trade his Gucci for Fendi and Fashion Nova. “We’re only rocking Fendi headbands from now on. Fendi everything and Fashion Nova drip.”
Others including Spike Lee and Ne-Yo have also voiced their dismay and supported the boycott. “Damn…been a Gucci fan for a while. No excuse for this tho,” said Ne-Yo. “C’mon y’all. Did you guys really look at this design and think, ‘nah, this isn’t gonna offend anybody.’ SERIOUSLY!?! Welp, some folks just won’t learn unless they’re taught a lesson.”
Gucci is not the only high-end brand sparking controversy. Prada was previously accused of depicting blackface with their designs. The label discontinued a racially insensitive monkey keychain and related products from its Pradamalia collection in December.
Didnt know Prada did this in December. Them & Gucci banned b. pic.twitter.com/bB2Zwtqbvt
— IG: Mickey.Factz (@MickeyFactz) February 9, 2019