The item garnered a huge backlash online.
This week, Gucci updated their fashion lines, and one of the items was a new woolen jumper for women.
However, the jumper was perceived by many to be offensive, seemingly similar to both a balaclava, and also representative of blackface:
https://twitter.com/fuckrashida/status/1093213729603239936
https://twitter.com/karyndeshields/status/1093301510967099393
https://twitter.com/miamohill/status/1093253019200864256
https://twitter.com/Just_Autumn20/status/1093307201576259584
Gucci released an apology in full on Twitter,
saying:
"Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper. We can confirm that the item has been immediately removed from our online store and all physical stores.
"We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make. We are fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond."
Some reactions responded that if more workforce's were more roundly represented by more diverse teams who were supported in coming forward with their opinions, then situations like this wouldn't arise:
https://twitter.com/VanessaVeasley/status/1093348445740584961
