Kanye West is getting slammed by fellow New York Fashion Week designer Anne Bowen for adding a last-minute Sept. 16 runway presentation to the already full schedule.
“We have been prepping for a year for this at considerable financial, labor- and commitment-cost to our company,” Bowen told Women’s Wear Daily. “Our show date has been scheduled for months and has been on the Fashion Calendar for weeks. We went through all the proper channels to make this a reality. And just yesterday we learned that Kanye West is having a show at the same time on the same date as ours.”
Bowen’s show was originally scheduled for Sept. 16 as well, but she’s now forced to move her own show back a day.
“In order for our show to have any significance, we now have to move our date and time which is a logistical nightmare,” she said. “Three days out from our originally scheduled time.”
Bowen continued to express her outrage at West, saying that she believes the people who have been working hard at making NYFW run smoothly are being stepped on by the rapper.
“Kanye knows he is a media sensation and it is just not ethical to do this,” she said. “It’s like we are David and he is Goliath. We have put our heart and soul into our show, and should not be stepped on like this.”
“We’re scrambling like crazy and it’s costing us a lot of money,” said Bowen’s publicist, adding the hassle of cancellation fees and trying to secure the same models and photographers. “And now we have to re-invite the press…We sent out printed invites by hand, and they’re useless. We’re trying to contact everyone by email.”
According to Women’s Wear Daily, Bowen isn’t the only fashion designer who is upset about the last minute schedule change — Naeem Khan, who dresses Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, and Michelle Obama, will have to present at the same time as West.
Khan’s spokesperson told WWD on Sunday, “I can tell you that as of now, the show is going on as planned.”
9 Outrageous Fashion Scandals: From Abercrombie's Fat-Shaming to Kathie Lee's Sweatshops (Photos)
John Galliano, the head designer for Dior, was caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks in a Paris café in 2011. Galliano can be heard saying to fellow diners, “I love Hitler” and “People like you would be dead today. Your mothers, your forefathers would be f**ing gassed and dead.” Following the release of the video, Galliano was fired from Dior and retreated from publicity while spending time in rehab.
Abercrombie & Fitch saw its reputation take a plunge in 2013 when CEO Mike Jeffries’ comments from a 2006 interview resurfaced. Jeffries openly admitted in the interview that the company only wanted the attractive, all-American, cool kids wearing the brand's clothes.
The retailer recently came under fire for selling a tapestry resembling the uniform gay prisoners wore in Nazi camps during the Holocaust. The article in question is a blanket with pink triangles superimposed over grey and white stripes. Urban Outfitters reportedly pulled the item after it generated outrage in the LGBT community. This isn’t the first time the retailer has sparked controversy; in 2014 Kent State sweatshirts were for sale with bullet holes and blood spatter alluding to the killings of four students at the university in 1970.
Domenico Dolce, one half of Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana, made comments to an Italian magazine stating children conceived through IVF are “synthetic children.” Elton John caught wind of the comments and went to social media to call a boycott of D&G. John, who has two children via IVF with husband David Furnish, said, "How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic.'”
Karl Lagerfeld, the creative mind behind Chanel and Fendi, faced backlash for fat-shaming when he said “nobody wants to see curvy women on the runway,” and then called Adele “a little too fat.” Lagerfeld has never been one to censor his thoughts and later responded to the controversy saying, “But after that she lost eight kilo, so I think the message was not that bad.”
From accusations of sexualizing children to finding itself on the brink of bankruptcy several times, American Apparel has had its fair share of controversies. In 2013, the retailer held a modeling contest for plus-size women. The winning contestant submitted photos of herself half-naked eating fatty foods in an attempt to make a mockery of the brand.
Australian model Robyn Lawley, size 12, was at the forefront of controversy when Sports Illustrated labeled her “plus-size” in 2015. The average American women is size 14. The model addressed the issue saying, “It’s about time we forgo labels and embrace size diversity in the fashion world and mainstream media.”
In 2007, clothing brand The Gap reportedly used vendors in India that exploited child laborers as young as 10 years old. Gap responded to the controversy swiftly and condemned the use of child labor to produce or work on garments and has since required suppliers to guarantee they will not use child labor. Other brands exposed for child labor include Disney, Nike and Kathie Lee Gifford’s Wal-Mart clothing line.
Lululemon co-founder Chip Wilson found himself in hot water when he blamed women’s thighs for defects in the brand's yoga pants. The $98 pants were recalled in 2013 for being too sheer and pilling after only a few wears. In a Bloomberg interview, Wilson responded to the complaints saying, “They don't work for some women's bodies ... it's really about the rubbing through the thighs." Wilson stepped down as chairman in 2013.
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Some designers and fashion industry executives should invest in mufflers
John Galliano, the head designer for Dior, was caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks in a Paris café in 2011. Galliano can be heard saying to fellow diners, “I love Hitler” and “People like you would be dead today. Your mothers, your forefathers would be f**ing gassed and dead.” Following the release of the video, Galliano was fired from Dior and retreated from publicity while spending time in rehab.
