LONDON, Feb 20 — Burberry has apologised for featuring a hoodie with a noose around the neck at London Fashion Week.

“We are deeply sorry for the distress caused by one of the products that featured in our F/W 2019 runway collection.

“Though the design was inspired by the marine theme that ran throughout the collection, it was insensitive and we made a mistake,” said Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti in a statement to CNN.

The model who walked down the runway in the sweatshirt also took to Instagram to criticise the brand, stating: “Suicide is not fashion.”

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In a lengthy caption, she critiqued the “ignorantly put together” look and exclaimed that she had been “extremely triggered.”

“How could anyone overlook this and think it would be okay to do this especially in a line dedicated to young girls and youth. The impressionable youth. Not to mention the rising suicide rates worldwide. Let’s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either,” Kennedy said in her post.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

@burberry @riccardotisci17 Suicide is not fashion. It is not glamorous nor edgy and since this show is dedicated to the youth expressing their voice, here I go. Riccardo Tisci and everyone at Burberry it is beyond me how you could let a look resembling a noose hanging from a neck out on the runway. How could anyone overlook this and think it would be okay to do this especially in a line dedicated to young girls and youth. The impressionable youth. Not to mention the rising suicide rates world wide. Let’s not forget about the horrifying history of lynching either. There are hundreds of ways to tie a rope and they chose to tie it like a noose completely ignoring the fact that it was hanging around a neck. A massive brand like Burberry who is typically considered commercial and classy should not have overlooked such an obvious resemblance. I left my fitting extremely triggered after seeing this look (even though I did not wear it myself). Feeling as though I was right back where I was when I was going through an experience with suicide in my family. Also to add in they briefly hung one from the ceiling (trying to figure out the knot) and were laughing about it in the dressing room. I had asked to speak to someone about it but the only thing I was told to do was to write a letter. I had a brief conversation with someone but all that it entailed was “it’s fashion. Nobody cares about what’s going on in your personal life so just keep it to yourself” well I’m sorry but this is an issue bigger than myself. The issue is not about me being upset, there is a bigger picture here of what fashion turns a blind eye to or does to gain publicity. A look so ignorantly put together and a situation so poorly handled. I am ashamed to have been apart of the show. #burberry. I did not post this to disrespect the designer or the brand but to simply express an issue I feel very passionate about.

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According to the model, she attempted to speak to someone about it when she first saw the piece but was told to “write a letter.”

“It’s fashion. Nobody cares about what’s going on in your personal life so just keep it to yourself,” Kennedy said of her “brief conversation with someone” at the show.

Following the firestorm, Burberry has pulled the item from production and removed all related images mere hours after its debut on the runway.

Burberry joins the growing list of labels, such as Gucci and Prada, which have been forced to apologise and remove designs deemed insensitive in recent months.