Burberry has apologised for a hoodie with a cord that looked like a noose, which was worn by a model during London Fashion Week.

The hoodie, which features a rope tied to resemble a noose where the string of the hood would normally be, was widely criticised – including by a model that walked in the show.

In a statement to Dezeen, Burberry's creative director Riccardo Tisci apologised for the hoodie, stating that it was "inspired by a nautical theme", but acknowledging that the item was "insensitive".

Burberry's hoodie is the latest in a series of insensitive missteps in the fashion industry, including a Gucci jumper criticised for resembling blackface and a pair of shoes by Katy Perry that were deemed similarly offensive.

"Suicide is not fashion"

Model Liz Kennedy, who walked in the show but did not wear the hoodie, took to Instagram to express her upset, writing that "Suicide is not fashion".

"A massive brand like Burberry who is typically considered commercial and classy should not have overlooked such an obvious resemblance," said Kennedy. "Let's not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either."

According to Kennedy, she asked to speak to someone about the hoodie at the time of her fitting for the show but was told to write a letter instead.

The major British label has since removed the item from its Autumn Winter 2019 show, and taken images of it out of all brand materials.

Burberry "deeply sorry"

Burberry chief executive Marco Gobbetti released a statement echoing Tisci's apologies in which he said he was "deeply sorry for the distress" and the brand had "made a mistake".

The brand confirmed to Dezeen that Gobbetti called Kennedy to personally apologise as soon as he became aware of her distress.

"The experience Ms. Kennedy describes does not reflect who we are and our values. We will reflect on this, learn from it and put in place all necessary actions to ensure it does not happen again," stated Gobbetti.

Burberry is lead by creative director Tisci, who took over Christopher Bailey in March 2018. Since arriving Tisci has overseen a revamp of Burberry, collaborating with Peter Saville to create a new graphic identity for the brand.

The post Burberry apologises for "insensitive" noose hoodie appeared first on Dezeen.

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