A Look Back at Gucci's Past Scandals Amid Turban Controversy

Gucci has throw itself headfirst into controversial waters with another questionable fashion item. But at this point, we should probably be used to it.

Critics say the company’s $790 “Indy Full Turban” headgear appropriates the culture of the Sikh religion. And, true to form, Twitter is full of hot takes shaming the company and expressing outrage. Gucci, so far, hasn’t commented on the issue and Nordstrom, which was selling the headgear has marked it as “Sold out” on its page.

While the anger might be justified, this is hardly the first time the fashion house has found itself in the spotlight over a questionable choice. Here are a few other examples of poor decision making by the company that earned it plenty of media and social media attention.

Gucci’s Blackface Sweater

It was just three months ago that Gucci admitted its black balaclava sweater, which featured cartoonishly thick, red lips around the mouth cut-out, looked like blackface. The company apologized and called it a “powerful learning moment.”

“We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make,” it wrote at the time.

Gucci’s Pubic Hair Ad Campaign

Gucci certainly turned heads with its Spring 2003 ad campaign, thanks entirely to an image of a female model leaning against the wall, while a clothed male model knelt in front of her as she pulled her underwear down, revealing the Gucci logo shaved into her pubic hair.

Gucci, at the time, called the ad (which ran in Vogue) “playful.” Others called it degrading.

The controversy added another layer last year when the photographer was accused by 13 male assistants and models of unwanted sexual advances over a period dating back to the mid-1990s.

Gucci’s Dapper Dan ‘homage’ jacket

Social media exploded in 2007 when Gucci introduced a jacket that many argued plagiarized the work of the well-known tailor “Dapper Dan,” who often worked with rappers and athletes. The two coats were very similar, with giant puffy arms and a fur core. Gucci, in a statement, said its coat was an “homage.” Critics called it an appropriation of black culture.

https://twitter.com/radvsdaworld/status/869351267126190080

Stay Bold Plagiarism Accusations

Less than a month after the Dapper Dan accusations, two other designers accused Gucci of ripping off their designs. Stuart Smythe and Milan Chagoury, designers for Stay Bold, noted how closely the elements on a Gucci shirt matched with one they had come up with four years prior.

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Gucci issued a vague statement at the time, saying it had contacted the two designers.