Louis Vuitton Pulls ‘Jamaican’ Sweater For Inaccurate, ‘Careless’ Representation
Left image via Roman Tiraspolsky / Shutterstock.com, right image via Shutterstock
Louis Vuitton has landed itself in hot water for one of its latest menswear designs, called the Jamaican Stripe Jumper.
First spotted by Twitter user @pam_boy, the sweater, which retails for £995 (US$1,366), features three stripes in green, yellow, and red.
According to the description, the pullover “channels the collection’s Jamaican Parade theme, with a striped design inspired by the Caribbean island’s national flag.” The flag, on the other hand, is colored in green, black, and yellow.
“I cannot stress enough how important it is to implement diversity as a value and not a symbol within fashion companies,” @pam_boy tweeted.
People on Twitter were quick to voice out that the garment seems to be inspired by the Rastafarian flag, a religious movement that originated from Jamaica, instead of the Jamaican flag itself.
Others criticized the brand for its carelessness and its lack of effort especially in a time when inclusivity in fashion should be championed and celebrated.
“The flag pops up if you type Jamaica into your phone. How little effort can people go to and *still* not get checked or corrected!” a user tweeted.
“I also want to point out to @LouisVuitton—because they don’t know—that Jamaica ≠ Rastafari. That’s very obviously the cliché they wanted to send across, and this is even more disrespectful than not caring enough to check the colors of the flag for profit,” another user weighed in.
Louis Vuitton has since updated the description of the sweater to replace the “flag” with “cultural heritage.”
FYI It would be the Rastafarian/Ethiopian flag.
— @PAM_BOY (@pam_boy) February 2, 2021
P.S. I do not think this is Virgil’s doing/fault. It’s most likely LV’s e-com and/or commercial design teams.
Omg 🤦🏻♀️ the flag literally pops up if you type Jamaica into your phone. How little effort can people go to and *still* not get checked or corrected!
— Elly 🌿 Take It Up Wear It Out (@Takeitupwearit) February 2, 2021
Louis Vuitton is selling a $1730 Jamaican Stripe Pullover, with the wrong flag, and absolutely no business using Jamaica in this way. Also, why is it out of stock already? Someone call Virgil. pic.twitter.com/NsYlaKvDNm
— Amanda Bartley (@bartleyamandaj) February 2, 2021
So no one at Louis Vuitton googled the Jamaican Flag ? pic.twitter.com/gZkYLO0rVG
— Black Women Matter (@nyni_perry) February 5, 2021
I also want to point out to @LouisVuitton - because they obviously don’t know - that Jamaica ≠ Rastafari. That’s very obviously the cliché they wanted to send across, and this is even more disrespectful than not caring enough to check the colours of the flag 🇯🇲 for profit...
— Armelle Aurelya Ferguson (@armelleferguson) February 3, 2021
[via Insider, cover image via Roman Tiraspolsky / Shutterstock.com, right image via Shutterstock]
