Prada announces diversity council after blackface outrage
MILAN — Italian brand Prada said it is forming a diversity council to “elevate voices of colour within the company and fashion industry at large,” a move that follows accusations of racism in the luxury fashion world.
Two Americans, artist Theaster Gates and film director Ava DuVernay, will chair the council, Prada said Wednesday. The group will work to develop “diverse talent” and create more opportunities for students of colour, the luxury fashion house said.
Gates said his work “amplifies the voices that have been absent from the broad cultural conversations,” and he was happy to work with Prada to help make the company more “reflective of the world today.”
Prada apologized in December and immediately withdrew bag charms that resembled black monkeys with exaggerated red lips. Critics said the charms recalled the blackface caricatures that long propagated racist stereotypes in the United States.