Written by Cassell Ferere originally published on Forbes.com

The number of gaffes that fashion brands are enduring is mounting in their effort to reach broader markets. Well-known brands have already been called out. Some on several occasions for what many consider cultural appropriation. These culturally inappropriate adaptations may include the juxtaposition of the Black body with a racially interpreted message in an image, the ornamentation of the Asian heritage, Native contexts in design, as well as the cries for inclusion when brands are whited-out by the perception of hegemonic values. 

It is safe to conclude that there aren’t enough people of color at these brands - people of those cultures in any position of power. And now with the uprise of organizations like Black In Fashion Council, and the Black Fashion and Beauty Collective, the fashion industry is being scrutinized by those who no-longer want to see inadequate responses to inclusion, diversity, and representation.

Representation is crucial to a brand's images in this global market. Is it harder to achieve this without crossing a proverbial line that deems a campaign or social post as racist and inappropriate? The many ways that brands find themselves in this position is their inability to survey the groups they wish to represent. Furthermore, they don't have anyone at the helm they can ask - "is this is ok?"

Take the recent Marni’s campaign titled “Jungle Mood” for their Praia Sandals and other new accessories they posted on their Instagram feed. There is a racist tone that is undermining the Black models and their history in the imagery. The captions further suggest that. There is also a symbolism that links the visuals of the campaign to a racist history. Connoting a dominance of the Black body like with naming a white sandal the “White Queen” that covers a black man’s leg as he seated in the sand.

The campaign is somewhat remnant of the slave trade from the shores of Africa. One image even displayed a black man with chains on his ankles as the new Marni Marcel Summer Bag is set in the foreground done with some photoshopping. 

In a statement posted to their Instagram Marni claims, "At Marni, we are deeply apologetic for the harm and offense that our latest campaign has caused. What was intended to be a campaign that celebrated the beauty of the Afro-Brazilian culture through the perspective of Brazilian photographer Edgard Azevedo came to fruition having had the opposite impact. Our oversights across the review process are unacceptable - and for that, we are incredibly sorry." 

We've honestly seen this one before, and we know how this one will turn out. This is the performative operation, where one attempt to gain acceptance is thwarted by the misstep and followed by an apology and a backtrack to what has already been done.

The comments gave a clear view of how disrespectful and distasteful the marketing campaign is. “Don’t just remove the racist photos. The whole campaign needs to be removed,” said @katie_warlund of Instagram. The campaign has been removed since. 

Even when hiring a black creative of Brazilian background, Marni is still the authority on how its brand is representing a people on a global scale. The creative was settled on selling Italian fashion goods to Black people who have been a disenfranchised community because of slavery. Selling us back the idea through fashion was probably the last thing any would expect.

Marni is not the only brand to ever create such a faux pas. But in context, they have referenced blackface sweaters and “Coolest Monkey” lingua franca. Fashion has often made mistakes in what they thought was the inclusion of diversity, as well as what they lacked in diversity.

Some argued the Dior Haute Couture film Le Mythe Dior failed to include any other models of color. The film is based around fairytales and folklore and has many references to the 16th-century playwright storytelling of Shakespeare. In my opinion, I wasn’t expecting to see any other models besides the white models due to the genre and therefore had no qualms with the film. I was excited at the make of such miniature gowns, although.

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