@Zimmermann (Australian brand worn by celebs such as Beyonce, Kylie Jenner, Kelly Rowland, and more) was called by out by former intern Vanessa Ahal who replied to the Australian brand’s #blacklivesmatter support post on Instagram to tell her experience of “micro aggressions towards black people” during her time there.
Ahal writes, “I personally experienced micro aggression towards black people…Promising me a job just so I could bust balls doing another girls job after she quit to then tell me (after I noticed they were only interviewing white people and a few Asians) that they were not actually considering me for the job. The few mistakes I did make long the way were severely scrutinized while other white workers made the same mistakes all of the time.” Read more below:
Zimmermann did not comment publicly, though they did message Vanessa, welcoming her to discuss her internship experience with them directly:
She called their response “bullish*t.” Read her full response to them below:
Ahal respectfully asked for them to issue a public statement, which they have not. They have, however, left up their original, “Desmond Tutu,” quote, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Another brand under fire? Hatmaker Eugenia Kim, whose luxurious hats have decorated the crowns of women like Beyonce, Monica, and yours truly!
Eugenia Kim released a statement, saying, “Eugenia Kim stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We stand in solidarity with the members of our staff, our partners, our customers, and those risking their lives each and every day against acts of brutality and hate.” Read more below:
Former Eugenia Kim employees Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler of the website @Diet_Prada called Kim out for past aggressive actions towards BIPOC staff (Black, indigenous, people of color), writing, “[She] told staff that a Black Sales Assistant couldn’t afford nice things because she was a single black mom, instructed design and production team to mock an immigrant Chinese factory owner’s accent so he would ‘understand better,’” etc. Read more below:
Responses under Eugenia Kim’s post are similarly littered with comments from disgruntled past employees who indicate that something in the milk isn’t quite clean chez Kim.
It seems that these brands (amongst many) are talking the talk, but not walking the walk. While they say they value people of color, they are not actually implementing colorblind, non discriminatory practices behind the scenes.
So what now?
Zimmermann and Eugenia Kim are both brands we love and have supported heavily in the past:
Now that these brands have been exposed, will you continue to purchase their products?
Let us know below.