Donna Karan’s Spring 2012 collection was heavily inspired by Haiti. Karan’s been spending a lot of time in the Caribbean country doing charity work since last year’s earthquake, and uses her celebrity to raise money for her own charity and several others. All of the print ads for the collection were shot in Haiti, and they’re rich in the country’s culture but—surprise, surprise!—sources are claiming one of the pictures is insensitive and even racist.
The controversial picture has Adriana Lima in front, glowing in an olive-coloured jumpsuit and statement necklace, with two Haitian men lurking in the shadows in the background. The complaints again these ads range from the choice of using a white model in Haitian-based photos and the placement of Haitian men in the shadows of an otherwise glamorous photo, to the picture drawing attention to the huge divide between a luxe fashion brand and the Haitian population. None of the pictures make direct reference to Haiti’s extreme poverty, but the juxtaposition is very clear.
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