PARIS: French fashion house Louis Vuitton has pulled Michael Jackson-themed items from its 2019 summer menswear collection following a documentary about alleged child abuse by the late pop star.
The collection was shown in January at the Paris Fashion week and is due to hit stores in June, but a Louis Vuitton spokeswoman said the Jackson-themed items would not be put up for sale.
Louis Vuitton said that at the time of the event, it was not aware of the “Leaving Neverland” documentary, in which two adult men say they were befriended by Jackson and abused by him in the early 1990s.
“I am aware that in light of this documentary, the show has caused emotional reactions. I strictly condemn any form of child abuse, violence or infringement against any human rights,” Louis Vuitton menswear designer Virgil Abloh said in a statement.
Abloh, an American designer who was hired by Vuitton in March 2018, said his intention for this show had been to refer to Jackson as a pop culture artist.
The documentary has caused a backlash against Jackson’s legacy, as some radio stations stopped playing his music and an episode of “The Simpsons” cartoon show featuring his voice is being pulled from future broadcasts.
Jackson’s family has called the documentary and news coverage of the accusations a “public lynching” and said he was “100 percent innocent.”
“We find the allegations in the documentary deeply troubling,” Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke said, adding that the firm is fully committed to advocating the cause of child welfare.
Louis Vuitton is the world’s biggest luxury brand, with annual sales of more than 10 billion euros, and is the biggest revenue driver for its parent company, French luxury goods group LVMH.
The menswear unit is a relatively small part of its business and pulling the Jackson-themed items should not have a major impact on the label.
Louis Vuitton pulls Michael Jackson-themed items from collection
Louis Vuitton pulls Michael Jackson-themed items from collection
- The collection was shown in January at the Paris Fashion week and is due to hit stores in June
- A Louis Vuitton spokeswoman said the Jackson-themed items would not be put up for sale
Arab models share festive red looks for holiday season
- Bella Hadid and others post images on social media
- Stars promote their labels and fashion collaborations
DUBAI: Several Arab models, including Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid Imaan Hammam and Shania Shaik, have been sharing holiday-themed looks on social media, many featuring red tones.
US Dutch Palestinian supermodel Hadid has been promoting holiday gift sets from her fragrance brand Orebella. In one image shared on Instagram, she wears a red off-the-shoulder top paired with denim jeans, accessorized with red boots and red-tinted glasses.
Her holiday sets include the brand’s skin perfume collection, and a travel-size duo featuring Salted Muse and Nightcap.
Nightcap, launched in August, is reportedly a homage to Hadid’s favorite horse from her childhood. The fragrance has been characterized as warm and spicy, with notes of ginger, cardamom and vanilla.
Salted Muse features top notes of sea salt, pink pepper and carbon dioxide extract, followed by heart notes of olive tree accord, fig and lavender. Its base notes include cedarwood, sandalwood and amber.
Bella’s sister, Gigi Hadid, also released a winter collection for her clothing brand Guest in Residence, featuring sweaters, beanies, scarves and socks in seasonal colors.
Meanwhile, Hammam, a Dutch Moroccan Egyptian model, appeared in red as part of a festive campaign for Estee Lauder, a label she has worked with on multiple occasions.
The model shared images from the campaign on Instagram, showing her posing in a red gown alongside Karlie Kloss and Paulina Porizkova, set against oversized holiday decorations and baubles.
Hammam was announced as a global ambassador for the US cosmetics company in 2023.
She spoke about the appointment in a recent interview with Estee Lauder: “This is the most amazing opportunity to represent and empower girls around the world.
“As a Moroccan-Egyptian woman, I am incredibly honored to take on this role with such a long-standing brand that promotes diversity and women’s empowerment in the beauty space.”
Shaik, an Australia-born model of Saudi, Pakistani and Lithuanian descent, also shared festive content with her followers. In one Instagram post captioned “Holiday party season,” she wears a sparkly maroon halter-neck dress with a plunging neckline.
The post took the form of a “get-ready-with-me” carousel, offering a glimpse of the beauty products she used ahead of a holiday event.
