TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Prada makes deal with NYC after racism controversy
Prada will take steps to fight racism and promote diversity under a deal struck with the city government in New York following controversy over its sale of monkey-like keychain figurines.
Change Size
Prada will take steps to fight racism and promote diversity under a deal struck with the city government in New York following controversy over its sale of monkey-like keychain figurines. (AFP/Joel Saget)
P
rada will take steps to fight racism and promote diversity under a deal struck with the city government in New York on Wednesday following controversy over its sale of monkey-like keychain figurines.
The Italian fashion label was forced to apologize in December 2018 after it sparked an uproar by featuring so-called "Pradamalia" objects that had exaggerated red lips and evoked blackface caricatures.
The items were featured prominently in the window display of Prada's Soho store in New York.
Critics said the merchandise -- which was pulled from shelves following the outcry -- resembled Sambo, a racist caricature that reinforced negative stereotypes about America's black community.
The problematic custom of blackface dates back to about 1830, and so-called "minstrel shows," when white performers caked their faces in greasepaint or shoe polish and drew on exaggerated lips.
As part of the agreement, Prada will send all of their New York employees for racial equality training, the city's commission on human rights said in a press release.
The label will also create a scholarship program "for people historically underrepresented in fashion", the statement added.
Prada must also present the commission with a list of candidates for a senior officer tasked with monitoring its products sold in the United States.
